The Host Clubs Heir
by sevendeadlyseas
Summary: While living in Boston for her second year of high school, Haruhi makes a mistake that could cost her everything she's worked for. Tamaki/Haruhi teen pregnancy
1. Chapter 1

The Host Club's Heir

 **Disclaimer – I do not own OHSHC, nor do I make any profit from writing this or any fanfiction. I have borrowed some dialogue from the manga in this chapter, which is in bold and should not be interpreted as my own words.**

 ***spoilers for the manga***

* * *

 _Ouran High Schools graduation ceremony_

As with everything else that happened at Ouran, the third years graduation ceremony was an excessively extravagant event used mostly to promote the school's reputation. There were banners hanging from all corners of every school building and confetti had somehow been triggered to fall on top of the graduation students as they went on stage. It was ridiculous and wasteful and expensive, but Haruhi supposed she could overlook it just this once. Graduating from high school was an important milestone no matter what kind of background you had.

Today truly marked a milestone for the entire Ouran High School Host Club, as it was the day that the last three remaining members of the original Host Club would leave the school forever, Mori and Honey having entered university in Boston two years ago and Tamaki and Kyoya having finished their schooling only the year before. Now the world was theirs for the taking, and so far the Host Club had taken well to their new surroundings.

Mori was currently in his second year of university studying Theory and Philosophy of Law; Honey was also in university, but doing more martial arts competitions and learning about the family's business and legacy; Kyoya was as expected becoming a feared name in the financial world while only in his first year of university, still planning to take over his family's medical business; and the twins were planning to study in preparation to inherit their mothers fashion industry.

Now that Haruhi was graduating, she was looking forward to studying law at a university level, but knew she would also be preoccupied with her other responsibilities.

"Ma!"

Hearing a child's cry, Haruhi turned and waved as she saw the already graduated members of the host club finding their seats. The men took notice, and Tamaki waved back enthusiastically, pride on his face as he encouraged their child to do the same.

"Wave at mummy, mon chéri!"

Despite facing severe backlash from the Suoh family, Tamaki was extremely happy with the life he had now. He was in his first year of university studying business, but it was now even more unlikely that he would inherit the Suoh business after choosing to be a teen dad before a respectable heir. Haruhi had felt awful that Tamaki had given up almost everything he'd worked for because of her, but she also knew that he was a great dad to their unexpected yet beloved baby.

"Fujioka Haruhi"

As her name was called, Haruhi peeled her eyes away from the bundle in her boyfriends' arms and walked up on the stage towards the chairman, who was handing out the diplomas.

To her embarrassment, she could hear her friends and father applauding and cheering her name as she went and tried to ignore the urge to look down at her metaphorical and literal family. To think that just a year ago she never would've thought the two would morph – at least not so soon.

"Congratulations, my dear" Haruhi smiled as she proudly shook hands with her child's grandfather. "Thank you for all you've done at Ouran, and everything you've contributed to my sons life" he added in a lower voice. Haruhi blushed, but thanked him and moved on to stand next to the other graduates.

Haruhi was truly glad that Yuzuru Suoh was the person he was. Telling the man who paid for her education that she had gotten knocked up, while on an overseas program he'd offered her, by his own son, was a daunting prospect. Thankfully Yuzuru had ended up being very understanding and compliant with her wishes, and helped her keep her spot in the program and Ouran.

"Hitachiin Hikaru"

Haruhi clapped and cheered with the rest of the Host Club when her friend received his certificate and leaned over when he came to stand next to her. "Congratulations, Kaoru." The redheaded boy grinned mischievously at her before turning to watch his twin receive _his_ diploma.

"Hitachiin Kaoru"

When Hikaru joined them, Haruhi rolled her eyes at them to let him know she knew what they'd done and stood for the rest of the ceremony waiting for their classmates to graduate with them.

A half hour later, the graduation ceremony had finally finished and Haruhi was glad for it, having quickly grown tired of standing silently. The chairman finished his closing speech and dismissed the graduating students, which led to an eruption of applause from the proud friends and families of the graduates.

"Thank God that's over" Hikaru murmured behind Haruhi as they descended from the stage with their fellow now ex-students.

"I suppose we should go find the club," Kaoru suggested.

"I saw them over by the other side of the stage earlier" Haruhi said, pointing in the direction of the elder members of the original Host Club, ignoring the twins snarky "it's rude to point" comment.

The room was awfully crowded, so the twins and Haruhi had to fight to get out of the sea of students together, causing them to take ten minutes to walk halfway across the room – though being Ouran High School, the room was ridiculously large anyway.

"Haruhi!"

"Oof!" Haruhi belatedly braced herself as she was hit by her father's flying body.

"Daddy is so proud! Oh I can't believe my little girl is all grown up and done with high school!" Ranka began to cry as the Host Club exchanged doubtful looks with each other.

"Ah, I thought she was already pretty grown up, based on your additional family member."

Haruhi shot what was supposed to be a dark look at the twins, but was somewhat thwarted by the furious blush across her face. However, it seemed that Ranka's glare was enough to make the twins cower.

To his credit, Ranka recovered from his fury quickly and instead let go of his daughter to snatch the baby in Tamaki's arm away from him instead.

"Don't worry my beloved _mago_!* I won't let those idiots use you against me! Look!" Ranka held up the baby to look at Haruhi who smiled gently at her child.

"Mummy!" the child gurgled, reaching out for their mother.

"Are you proud of your mummy?" Ranka cooed.

"Yes!"

Haruhi smiled and reached out to take the baby.

"Thank you, darling" she said, before turning her attention back to the Host Club. To be honest, she'd been a little worried about her father for a second. Despite being a loving grandparent, Ranka tended to resent the fact that his grandchild was living proof of his daughter's intimacy with the rich blonde he hated so much.

"We're all very proud of you, Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru! In fact, the Host Club has organised an exclusive event just for the graduates to celebrate the finale of their high school years!" Tamaki announced happily.

Haruhi groaned. "Seriously, Tamaki Senpai? I thought our hosting responsibilities were over!"

"You're seriously still calling him senpai?" one of the twins asked in an undertone, which Haruhi ignored. She'd gotten used to the Host Club's teasing over the year, and her still calling her boyfriend senpai seemed to be an interesting topic for a lot of people. Of course, she generally called him by his first name more often than before, though she did tend to slip back into old habits occasionally.

"My lovely Haruhi, hosting is not a chore, but rather a lifestyle! We must uphold the Host Clubs reputation in our everyday lives by being perfect gentlemen to every woman that comes our way!" Tamaki exclaimed, making the twins duck as he spread out his arms expressively.

"Wouldn't a gentleman have waited until marriage to get a girl pregnant?" the twins piped up again, loving to embarrass the two young parents.

As predicted, Tamaki flushed and swatted at the twins.

"That's not… Haruhi and I's love could not have been contained to just the two of us! We were very fortunate to be blessed with our beautiful –"

"Speaking of which," Haruhi interrupted, also red, "its naptime. Looks like I can't go to your stupid event anyway" she sounded triumphant, but the older hosts still looked smug, which only meant trouble.

"Did you not hear Tamaki mention that the event is exclusive to graduates only, Haruhi?" Kyoya said. "The Host Club is only sponsoring it. It will be held in the club room, but you and the twins will be the only hosts present. Tamaki can take the baby."

Tamaki stepped forward and held out his arms to take his child, but Haruhi held tighter instead.

"Ah… I feel guilty though, I haven't been around all day, you've been taking care of h-"

"I'm not babysitting, Haruhi. I'm the father, I'm supposed to spend time with my child!" Tamaki was starting to sound defensive, and Haruhi felt a rush of guilt. Tamaki still lived in the Suoh mansion, which meant he didn't get to see the baby as often as she did. Still, it didn't help her own separation anxiety.

"I know, but I-"

"Daddy!" it appeared Tamaki wasn't the only one becoming impatient. The infant in Haruhi's arms was beginning to squirm and reach for Tamaki. "Go wi' daddy!"

Tamaki raised an eyebrow at Haruhi, as if to say 'see?'

Haruhi sighed and finally handed her cherished baby over after a kiss on the forehead. "Okay, be good for daddy and grandpa then."

The child ignored her, busy burying their face into their father's chest.

"Don't worry, Haruhi, you go have fun!" Honey said, smiling up at the younger girl. With that, Hikaru and Kaoru took hold of both Haruhi's arms and whisked her away.

For once, Haruhi didn't bother struggling against them and simply let them drag her up to the familiar third music room. By now she was used to the random changes of plan and spontaneous events – after all, that's how this whole thing started.

* * *

 _Spain, 3_ _rd_ _week of November, Haruhi's second year of high school_

Barcelona was incredible. Never in a million years did Haruhi think that she would be able to leave the country for leisure due to her family's financial situation and her lack of a passport. However, Ouran High School and it's Host Club had made a lot of things possible for her, and she was grateful for it.

Haruhi had only been in Boston for three months before Kyoya had received a summons to Spain from his father, and the whole Host Club had whisked her away for a three day getaway. While Haruhi was grateful for the opportunity to see the beautiful and exotic country, she was a little uncomfortable with the prospect of having her first vacation with Tamaki as a couple, as he continued to remind her.

"So where are we all staying for the night?" Her thoughts were interrupted by the chatter of the other boys, and Haruhi decided to tune back into the conversation.

" **Well, there are three double rooms. Kyoya Senpai reserved a single room earlier**." Hikaru explained. " **It's been a while since we've been on a trip, so we should room with someone who's not our usual partner**."

 _Oh great_ , Haruhi thought sarcastically.

" **It would be nice to share a room with Haru-Chan!** " Honey commented.

 _Here we go_.

" **This is no joking matter! This is Haruhi's and my first vacation as a loving couple … so shouldn't it be like a honeymoon!?** " Tamaki declared.

Her face went bright red at the implications of that last sentence, and then deathly white. Tamaki wasn't… expecting anything because they were a couple now was he?

" **Haru and I are sharing a room! Vacations open the door to love!** " he concluded.

Haruhi frowned. The implications were too great. " **No, I'll have to pass on that** " she said bluntly.

" **Huh? Why no?** "

Oh no. The puppy dog eyes…

" **Eh … it's because that's …** " Haruhi averted her eyes awkwardly. He wasn't going to make her say it, was he? But then again, Tamaki was an oblivious idiot.

" **Because what?"** he prompted.

Haruhi looked back up to protest, but when she saw Tamaki looking down at her with that flirtatious face, all the words left her.

" **Hmm? Why not?** " he repeated in flawless English, his voice low and seductive.

Haruhi felt her face heat up and turn tomato red in embarrassment. Why did he have to do that? It was the second quickest way for Tamaki to get what he wants by using his annoyingly sexy voice.

But she couldn't let him win.

Haruhi stood up abruptly. " **I – I have to use the restroom!** " she announced awkwardly before dashing off, leaving behind a thoroughly disheartened Tamaki.

It wasn't that Haruhi was afraid of sharing a room with Tamaki – they practically lived together anyway and he'd stayed the night in her apartment a few times and vice versa. However, with him going on about honeymoons and loving vacations had her a little panicky about their advancing relationship.

By now Haruhi had accepted the fact that her feelings for Tamaki were deep, and living together meant that they had already started to advance their relationship physically, but not so far than appropriate for high schoolers – but did this honeymoon that Tamaki kept referencing symbolise them doing something more than just make out sessions on her couch?

Haruhi sighed as she pushed open the ladies restroom door. It was all too complicated, and giving her a headache.

Luckily for her, these unwelcome thoughts were distracted by Kyoya's prospective fiancée decided to make a literal leap for freedom.

The rest of the day passed without incident, and Haruhi forgot about Tamaki's earlier comments in time to go sightseeing with her boyfriend. However, by the end of it all her feet were starting hurt from all the walking around and when Honey and Mori decided to retreat back to the hotel, she followed suit with the twins trailing behind.

"Hey, wait! Where are you guys going?" Hearing Tamaki's shouts behind them Haruhi sighed and turned to face him.

"We're going back to the hotel, boss. We're all pretty tired" Kaoru replied.

"Me and Takashi are rooming together, then Kao Chan and Hika Chan, then Haru Chan is getting the single room!" Honey added helpfully.

" **Ehh!? Why is Haruhi taking the single room?** Haruhi is supposed to be rooming with me…" Tamaki spluttered.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the blonde's delusions. " **Good night** , Tamaki."

"What do you mean there's no single room left? We booked three doubles and a single!"

The hotels receptionist looked unapologetic as she pretended to be searching files on the computer system, despite Haruhi clearly being able to see her play Run.

"I'm very sorry," she said in a scripted sounding voice, "but our records showed that there were six of you that needed to reserve rooms, and there are six beds in the three rooms, so we had to give the single away to someone else. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but you should have organised your rooms earlier" she said, not sounding sorry at all.

Haruhi groaned. Great, now she was going to have to share with Tamaki.

"And there's no other single rooms? I absolutely have to share the double?"

"Yes."

"I guess we get to have our mini-honeymoon after all, Haruhi!"

Haruhi turned around at the sound of her boyfriends voice just in time for him to bound forward and envelop her in a tight hug. She couldn't help but groan, even as she hugged him back lovingly. Now she would be stuck with the slightly perverse idiot for the next two nights.

Not that she would have had it any other way.

And so begun the rest of the couple's life.

* * *

 ***** _ **mago – grandchild in Japanese, according to a reviewer who corrected by previous translation**_

 **I hoped you liked this, please leave reviews!**

 **Wow, it was so hard keeping the baby's gender a secret. I hope he/she peaked your interest! The rest of this story will take place in Haruhi's second year, so I hope you enjoy the ride!**

 **For those of you who haven't read the manga, this chapter is pretty much all the spoilers you'll get and they're only from chapter 83, which inspired me to create this story in the first place. The only other real difference is age, as in the manga Haruhi is 16, which she reiterates in the Spain saga, so I changed Tamaki's age to 17 to keep him a year older.**

 **Literally all the info you need is in the last chapter of the manga, so if you want background info for this story, just go to a platform like Kissmanga (which is free and easy) and read chapter 83. It's like an epilogue to the main story, and I've just interrupted the Spain portion.**

 **Sorry for rambling, I hope you liked this story and remember to review and follow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: incoming lemons! Or limes… I'm not sure which this falls under. NSFW anyway.**

Having grown up rich and arguably a little spoilt, Tamaki Suoh had never had to do any real labour, instead used to having maids and servants at his beck and call, it was a little funny to see him trying to lug his and Haruhi's heavy suitcases to their hotel room.

"I can carry my own things" Haruhi said, sounding annoyed despite being amused at the odd sight of Tamaki attempting to drag their possesions up the stairs.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Tamaki exclaimed with his usual air of bravado. "A prince must always care for his princess!"

Haruhi wrinkled her nose. "Don't ever call me that" she snapped shortly. She hated the idea of being considered one of Tamaki's airheaded princesses. Though Haruhi was still sometimes self-concious about their relationship, she was under the impression that her status as 'girlfriend' put her in a different category as the girls who paid to being wooed by Tamaki. Haruhi was grateful to get the real, unfiltered Tamaki and certainly didn't apprecitate being compared to them.

Tamaki laughed as Haruhi turned around in anger, only to feel his arms wrapping around her body. "Of course, Haruhi. Don't worry, you are far more precious than any princess… you are my Queen! Yes, of course the Host Club King needs his Queen!" He rested his chin on her shoulder and Haruhi couldn't help but smile, even as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a Queen, I'm a commoner, remember?"

Tamaki chuckled. "Right. Well, okay Queen of the commoners, let's go find our room."

Being the rich bastards they were, the rooms were of course on the top and most luxurious floor of the building. When Tamaki unlocked the door to his room, it became clear that the 'room' was inadequetly named, as the huge space that emcompassed their side of the building was as large as both their apartments back in Boston. Containing a kitchenette, dining area, living room, bathroom and bedroom, the area was more of a suite than a room.

"Er – isn't this a little over the top, Senpai?" Haruhi asked tentatively, not wanting to insult him.

"Of course not, _mon cheri_! We're in Spain, we should enjoy your first overseas trip to the fullest!" Tamaki said, as he cross the threshold and diposited their belongings at the door.

Haruhi sighed. She knew it. Ever since they started dating, Tamaki had taken every opportunity to spoil her, and while she appreciated the gesture, she hated to see the money go to waste. "Senpai, I would have been perfectly happy with a small motel room. It's just somewhere to sleep…" she attempted to explain, trailing off as she noticed Tamaki's mischeivious face.

"Oh?"

In an instance, Tamaki had somehow bounced right back to where he was before, in front of her face and bending down to look into her confused eyes. "Is that all you do in a hotel room, hmm?"

Haruhi felt her face heat up as Tamaki used his fingers to tilt her head up towards him.

"S-shut up – baka!" she pushed him away from her and moved to pick up her things, ignoring his laughter.

"Ah, Haruhi, I was only teasing!"

The short girl grumbled as her (in her opinion) overly-affectionate boyfriend grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in to a signiture Suoh bone-crushing hug.

"Senpai!" she gasped out against his chest,"let me go!" she managed to push him off her, and resumed unpacking her things.

"But Haruhiiiii" Tamaki pouted as his girlfriend ignored him, desperate for an ounce of affection. He knew he was being flirty, but he enjoyed pushing Haruhi out of her comfort zone – after all, how would their relationship ever progress if she couldn't even get used to his flirty side?

"But nothing," the brunette said stubbornly. "We're here for Kyoya senapi, nothing more. We're going to spend the night _sleeeping_ " she eyed him evilly as he grinned sheepishly, "and then tomorrow we'll join everyone at breakfast and continue sight seeing. Got it?"

Looking a little like a kicked puppy, Tamaki nodded.

Haruhi sighed in relief. "Good."

The two managed to unpack their belongings into the (ridiculously) large bedroom (seriously, there was enough for more than one king-sized bed!) before deciding that they should probably actually get ready to sleep. It had been a long day, and they surely had another one ahead of them.

"I'll get changed in the bathroom, you can stay in here mon cheri" Tamaki offered with a bow. Haruhi smiled and nodded in agreement.

Searching for her nightwear in the drawers, Haruhi was thankful that her dad hadn't had the opportunity to repack her clothes. As much as she missed her father, replacing her comfy cotton shorts and baggy teeshirt with some lacy nightgown would be really problematic in her current situation.

As she changed, Haruhi contemplated the awkward situation. It wasn't that she didn't love Tamaki, but he had been coming on quite strong with the romantic theatrics in the last few days.

Despite what the host club thought, Haruhi wasn't ignorant of the human anatomy, and certainly wasn't naïve enough to believe her boyfriend was as innocent as he claimed to be in front of the clubs clients. She knew the exact implications of them sharing a bed were, and was certain Tamaki had realised them too.

With a sigh, the petite girl laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all her problems.

Tamaki's boldness had caught her off-guard. When she didn't know how to respond to something, Haruhi went into flight or fight mode – and often turned to flight, hence the running away earlier in the day. However, that wasn't to say she was opposed to the idea of them… _being together_. Like that. In fact, the thought may have crossed her mind before without prompting, and it hadnt repulsed her at all. In fact, it was something she was entirely open to. However, Haruhi was terrible and flirting and conveying her emotions at all.

And underneath all of the lack of communication, and embarassment and nervousness, of course there was the insecurity. It had taken Haruhi a while to get used to just kissing Tamaki and the more intimate the got, the more fearful she became. Tamaki was her first boyfriend, first anything. She always felt akward when they kissed, and unsure whenever they made out. She was constantly doubting her ability to love and show her love.

"Haruhi?" there was a soft knock at the bedroom door "are you dressed? Can I come back in?"

Haruhi called back in the affirmative and sat up before Tamaki reentered the room.

"Which side of the bed do you want?" she asked the first thing she could think of to cut the awkward tension. Haruhi was currently laying on the right side of the bed, having been the closest to the wardrobe. Still, she didn't care either way, and she knew Tamaki had a king sized bed at home and likely had a preferance.

"Ah, the left is fine."

Haruhi shuffled as far to the right as she could as Tamaki climbed into bed, nearly falling off the side. The blonde noticed this and couldn't help but laugh.

"Am I that repulsive, Haruhu?"

"Wha- no!" she blushed a bright tomato red as her intentions were brought to light. "I just, ah…"

When she failed to provide a suitable answer, Tamaki went straight into drama-queen mode. He leaped up from the bed and threw himself over the loveseat in the corner of the room. "My girlfriend doesn't want to cuddle me! I took it too far today, I knew it! I'm an awful boyfriend!"

Haruhi blushed as he announced their titles loud enough for the whole hotel to hear and jumped up to try and pacify him. "Tamaki, stop!" she hissed.

"No!" he blurted, suddenly sounding genuinely upset. "I feel awful for what I put you through today! You were uncomfortable and I still flirted with you…"

Haruhi shook her head. "It was just teasing Senapai, it's… it's normal for couples to do, right?"

"Not us!" Tamaki frowned. "We're… We don't do that. We're not a normal couple, right? We're… we're so much more and less than that… I don't even know…"

Haruhi felt her heart plummet. Did this mean he was over her? He wanted a normal relationship?

"Tamaki… do you not want to be with me anymore?" the words had barely left her mouth before Tamaki had shut her down.

"No! I mean yes – no! Haruhi, I – I always want to be with you! I just feel like our situations keep us from acting like a normal couple sometimes, so when we get to do something normal like… like going on a vacation, I want to make it extra romantic!"

Despite Tamaki's panicky tone, Haruhi couldn't help but smile at the nervous blonde. He was so adorable, like a puppy, all pouty and concerned for her.

When she didn't respond, Tamaki turned his body away from her. Sitting on the couch like that, he looked incredibly dejected at her reaction and sorry for himself. Well, at least he wasn't in his gloom corner. That would certainly put a damper on heir 'honeymoon'.

So he wanted them to act more couply? A lightbulb clicked in Haruhi's mind, and while she blushed at the thought, she wanted to reassure Tamaki that she did love him.

Inspired, she moved towards the loveseat and sat on her knees facing her boyfriend.

"Tamaki"

The blonde looked up curiously, and Haruhi suddenly felt nervous all over again. She wanted to run, like she had earlier at Tamaki's suggestie comment. But this time she wouldn't.

"Haruhi?"

Cautiously, Haruhi placed her hands either side of Tamaki's face, cradling his head before moving in so that their lips touched ever so slightly. It didn't take long for Tamaki to respond, returning the kiss gently and moving his hands to her waist, pulling her in to an embrace.

Having promised herself to persevere through the nerves, Haruhi found the courage to deepen the kiss, opening her mouth, inviting her boyfriend in. Slowly but surely, their kisses became more passionate, Tamaki moving his hands from her waist to her hips, shifting her into his lap. The new position allowed for more intimacy, which Haruhi both feared and welcomed.

She had been surprised to feel the already formed hardness in his lap, and flushed when she realised what it was, but not nearly as much as Tamaki did.

"Uh – I-I'm sorry Haruhi, I didn't mean to, I can't help –" she shut him up with a kiss, understanding it wasn't his fault, and actually feeling a little more comfortable in her abilities.

"It's fine," she assured him "you… uh, you make me feel these things too…"

The two blushed, feeling an awkward sense of vulnerability and embarassment coupled with pride and arousal. Tamaki decided to end the silent moment by tugging her closer to him again and rejoining their lips.

As their kisses progressed, the two felt their inhibitions go and gave in to their desires. As Tamaki planted butterfly kisses down her neck, Haruhi found herself experimentally shifting her hips, rubbing his clothed desire in the process. While she hadnt realised she'd been doing it, she was grateful for the discovery as Tamaki let out a groan against her skin. Enjoying the feelings and noises from her boyfriend, the brunette rotated her hips again hoping for the same reaction.

"Har…uhi!" Tamaki groaned again, leaning his head on her left shoulder.

"Is… Is this okay?" the androgynous girl asked shyly, suddenly doubting her actions.

To her confusion, Tamaki let out a raspy chuckle. "I thought I was supposed to be the one asking you that… Ugh, It's more than okay… Keep going, please"

At the encouragement, Haruhi repeated the action before being engulfed in another deep kiss.

To her surprised, the next time she moved her hips, Tamaki also involunatrily shifted below her, causing his erectio to collide in just the right place.

"Oh!" she let out a small noise of pleasure before becoming immediately embarrassed, but Tamaki looked ectstaic at the slip up.

He thrusted his hips up again as Haruhi ground down at the same time, creating an irrestiable friction between them. The two broke their kiss to moan, and Haruhi told herself it was okay not to afraid anymore. It was Tamaki. She wanted this.

"T-Tamaki" she almost whispered, looking into his lust-filled eyes hazily, "I… I'd like to… do more tonight… Is… is that ok? If we go further?" she redirected her eyes as the embarassment took over. She'd never been one of those people who found sex especially important, or even fantasised… but right now she was feeling things she'd seldom experienced before, and wanted to continue the experience with this boy – man – she'd come to love.

Tamaki gently brushed the hair out of her face and planted a soft kiss on her lips. It wasn't as desperate or as passionate as the others, but was meaningful in its own way. It was a promise, a display of love to show that he'd always be there for her.

"Yes" he said quietly, excitement barely concealed, "but only if you're sure."

Haruhi smiled and nodded, initiating another passionate kiss as Tamaki lifted her into his arms and moved them towards the bed.

She wanted this.

It wasn't long before the troublesome layers of clothing between them came off, as the couple gave in to their desires and demonstrated their love for each other in the best way they knew how. And even right at the end, Tamaki had to ask again, and Haruhi responded the same way, certain that this was what she wanted and there would be no regrets, even as her body tensed up in pain, it was all completely worth it.

 **I can't believe I wrote that, I'm so embarrassed, hide me.**

 **So yeah. That's the first uh intimate scene I've ever written and just couldn't bring myself to write any further than that. That being said, please review this and give constructive criticism!**

 **I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, I really shouldn't have posted right before the holidays aha. Still, I hope you enjoyed this and remember to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't until early in the morning that Haruhi realised that they had forgotten to draw the blinds last night, and sunlight was now streaming in. A quick look at the clock showed her that it was only 5 in the morning.

Haruhi groaned and rolled over, tired and desperate for a bit of extra sleep. As she did so, several things happened: first she noticed the apparent soreness between her legs; then that Tamaki was still asleep next to her – naked. Then her final realisation came – she was also nude.

Memories from the previous night came flooding back and Haruhi shut her eyes with embarrassment. _Did that really just happen?!_

Haruhi tugged the blanket covering herself and Tamaki up to her chin and turned to look at her boyfriend.

Despite usually being a morning person, it seemed that their late-night activities had worn Tamaki out as he was still dead to the world. Ignoring the fact that he was naked, Haruhi supposed that the blonde looked quite cute when he slept. His chest rose and fell slowly as he breathed in and out gently, his hair was messily falling in his face, and his closed eyes indicated a kind of calm that was rare when he was awake.

Haruhi reached out to brush her fingers against his face, smiling when he nudged against them.

"Morning."

Tamaki raised his head slightly, blinking as sleep escaped him. "Hmm?" he turned his head to look at his girlfriend. Rather than freaking out as she had, Tamaki's face lit up and he immediately leaned into her touch.

"Good morning."

Haruhi yelped a little as Tamaki's eyes wrapped around her torso and dragged her towards him. He chuckled as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"How are you?" he whispered huskily in her ear, causing a shiver to run up Haruhi's spine.

"Uh… a little sore I guess," she admitted "but happy. Really happy" she added with a blush. Tamaki gave a small smile as he looked down at his breathtaking girlfriend. How did he get so lucky?

Unfortunately, the honeymoon period ended quickly as Tamaki belatedly realised their state of undress. Now that it was daytime and the passion of the previous night was lost, the awkwardness was beginning to settle in as the two scrambled to shower and get ready for the day.

It wasn't long before the devilish twins were practically knocking down the hotel room door trying to lure the couple out for the days adventures. Within an hour, they had managed to awaken the rest of the host club members and had congregated in the hotel lobby to discuss the day's events.

To Haruhi's disappointment, Tamaki immediately ventured off to Kyoya's side to go over the days plans, and she was left wedged between the twins.

Much to Kyoya's averseness, they had decided to spend their last day in Barcelona simply sightseeing. During the tour, Haruhi managed to experience the exquisite cuisine she'd been looking forward to and was able to admire the rich history of the country. They ended up being out much longer than anticipated, and while she'd had fun, Haruhi was worried that Tamaki hadn't spent any time with her on the excursion.

Pesky thoughts had begun to surface in her mind and causing her to question Tamaki's feelings. Was he avoiding her because he regretted the last night? Was she not good enough? Or had her unfeminine qualities finally been brought to light and he hadn't liked what he'd seen?

The pondering made her miserable for the second half of the trip and it wasn't long before the twins clued in on her emotions and decided to call it quits.

When they returned to the hotel, Haruhi tried to sidle up to Tamaki, but he'd simply shaken her off his arm and told her he'd catch up with her later.

This left her feeling quite unwanted, and despite the twins attempts to distract her, decided to retire to her room instead. She needed to make a call anyway.

* * *

Haruhi tapped her fingers on the wooden surface of the desk impatiently as she waited for Mei to pick up her phone. Despite the anxiety induced from waiting, she half-hoped that Mei didn't pick up, as she still wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say. She just knew she needed to talk to someone about what had happened, and out of all her friends, Mei was the only one she felt comfortable asking for help.

The two girls had become very close in the last few months to the point that Ranka complained that they fought like sisters (to the point that he actually kicked them out of the house for a day once), and while Haruhi was still felt awkward speaking to her about this, Mei had helped her realise her feelings for Tamaki initially, so she was the only one she could think of asking about this.

The guys were definitely out, because, well they were guys. Ordinarily Haruhi couldn't care less about a persons gender, but this was a topic she felt would be exclusively discussed between her and her female friends (if at all). Besides, individually they'd all be awful confidants.

Haruhi half doubted Honey's knowledge on these things at all, so he was definitely out.

Although Mori was a great listener, Haruhi was after advice, something she doubted Mori would have much of in her situation. Also, she wasn't especially close with the gentle giant, so she wouldn't be totally comfortable talking about something so private with him.

However much Kyoya looked out for his friends, he was still a naturally manipulative person. He was known for storing away information and having plenty of blackmail. Haruhi didn't want to be handing him weapons. Also, Tamaki was his best friend, so despite him almost certainly knowing the inner workings of the blonde's mind, he would also probably tell him about the conversation.

The twins were an immediate no, because they would a) tease her and not take her concerns seriously at all and/or b) get murderously angry at Tamaki, and Haruhi still wanted a living boyfriend.

Her dad was the other one person she usually told everything close to her, but her sex life with the boyfriend he still strongly disliked was not one of them.

With the sixth ring, the phone was finally answered.

"Hello?" Mei spoke into the phone groggily. Haruhi nearly squeaked. _No no no_ , she didn't want to do this anymore. _Hang up, hang up_ … "Hello?" the other girl repeated.

"Uh… Mei, hi! It's uh, Haruhi" she cringed as she realised how unnatural her voice sounded, but luckily Mei didn't seem to pick it up.

"Oh, Haruhi, hi! Your dad said that you were going to Spain! When is that happening?" the other girl brightened up at hearing her friends voice.

"Sorry Mei, I must've woken you up… Uh, yeah I'm in Barcelona with the guys right now-"

"I don't care how early you wake me up, so long as you grab me some fashion magazines and maybe some products… Oh that's so exciting!"

"Yeah, sure I'll do that… Uh anyway…"

"And you're with the guys? With your _boyfriend_ , hmm?" Great, now she decided to tease her. "You're in one of the most romantic places in the world with Tamaki, you guys must have gone on a date or done something special right?"

There was a moment of silence wherein Haruhi couldn't tell if the other girl was finished with her ramblings, and then –

"IsleptwithTamaki!" the words came tumbling out in a rushed mess without her authorisation, much to Haruhi's horror. She threw a hand over her own mouth, squeezing her eyes shut to bask in the embarrassment.

There was another moments silence, before Mei tentatively replied "uh, Haruhi? You… er, slept with Tamaki? Like… as in slept in the same bed or slept together…"

Haruhi groaned and threw herself stomach-first onto the bed. "We had sex, okay" she mumbled into the phone, her facing turning red as she uttered the words.

"Oh… Wow… Well.. really?"

Haruhi glared at the phone, and as if seeing her face, Mei continued, "Sorry Haruhi, but I'm just surprised. I can't believe you lost your V card before me!" Haruhi groaned at the crude language, much to Mei's amusement.

"So how was it?"

Haruhi flushed red, thankful that Mei couldn't see her.

"Uh… it was good, I guess" or as good as a first time can be, she thought privately. She'd known it would hurt at first but had no idea just how much. Haruhi had been unprepared for the cutting pain that had pierced her body and it had only installed more fear into the already insecure girl. But once they got past the initial stage of pain and clumsiness, things had progressed nicely. "Actually," she coughed, somehow managing to turn redder "when it was happening I was pretty into it… and so was Tamaki, but I er, I think that's worn off…"

"Worn off?" the other girl prompted.

Haruhi moved herself up to the headboard and grabbed a pillow from Tamaki's side, clutching it to her chest for some semblance of support.

"Yesterday he was acting really flirty and… saying things he doesn't normally, but I don't think he expected anything to come out of it… then one thing led to another and … it kind of just happened. Now I'm wondering if he regretted it, because he's been avoiding me since we met up with the others. Like we left the room and returned to reality, and he realised he doesn't want me or something…"

She was cut off, annoyingly, by the sound of Mei laughing on the other line.

"What's so funny?" Haruhi asked indignantly as she didn't let up.

"Haruhi, calm down. Tamaki's a guy, and a virgin at that – or was – I'm assuming"

"Of course!" Haruhi snapped, offending on her boyfriend's behalf.

"Yeah. Point is, there's no way he regrets it or anything. He's probably just in shock that you actually let him… you know. Anyways, he's probably just feeling a little awkward about having to go out and act normal around your friends after something like that. You know what he's like. Just talk to him, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

Haruhi wasn't convinced. When Tamaki had a problem, his immediate reaction was to overreact and go into drama queen mode. But now all he was doing was ignoring her.

"I don't know Mei… that's not really Tamaki's style… I think I was just bad in bed or something…" she added the last part quietly, despite not having anyone around. It was embarrassing to say.

She heard Mei sigh.

"Haruhi, don't be stupid. First of all, no one is great their first time. Practice makes perfect and you guys basically live together so I'm sure there'll be time for plenty of practice-" Haruhi whined in complaint, "secondly, Tamaki isn't that kind of guy. He loves you and isn't the type to focus solely on sex. That's a bonus for him, not a necessity. And last of all, if Tamaki did, on the off chance, turn out to be that kind of guy, you have an army of guys and me ready to beat him up for being a dick!" Mei finished her monologue with a smug tone, and Haruhi couldn't help snorting.

"Yeah, thanks Mei" she said half-heartedly.

The other girl laughed.

"Okay Haruhi, seriously, just talk to Tamaki. He could be acting weird for a number of reasons, but I 100% guarantee that he's not going to break up with you. He loves you. It's probably nothing!"

Haruhi murmured in agreement. To be honest, she wasn't completely convinced, but she did feel a little better.

"Thank you, Mei… I hadn't… you're right. I feel kind of stupid"

Mei laughed. "Well that's what best friends are for!" Haruhi found herself smiling, happy that Mei also considered her as a best friend. She'd never really had one of those before. "Don't worry, I'm sure most people go through this, and you're not stupid, you're one of the smartest people I know! You get to keep that status so long as you used protection!"

Haruhi blinked.

"So long as you what now?"

Mei's silence was beginning to frighten her.

"Mei?"

"Haruhi, you guys used protection, right?"

Haruhi bit her lip. "Uh… Well… I don't think so…" to be honest the thought had never crossed her mind.

" _Fuck_ , Haruhi"

Her mind went into immediate panic mode. "But… it can't be that bad! Uh… what are the chance aha…"

* * *

 **I apologise for any grammatic/spelling errors in here. I rewrote the phone call scene several times, proof read and posted this at 12:40am so I hope it's legible. Enjoy and review!**

 **In the next chapter we'll find out what went on during their sightseeing excursion and what's going on in Tamaki's pretty lil head!**


	4. Chapter 4

The morning had started off so wonderfully that Tamaki almost thought that it was part of a dream. He confirmed their late-night activities, Haruhi wasn't repulsed and they'd managed to get in some quality cuddle time. But like all dreams, this one came to and end all too soon.

It wasn't long before the other hosts were awake, and the twins had decided that they needed to 'rescue' Haruhi by literally trying to break down the door. After assuring the twins that she was fine through the door, Haruhi hastily returned to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes before retreating to the bathroom to change.

Tamaki sighed at her hastiness. He'd already seen her naked now, so why act nervous about it? Perhaps she was regretting it?

Left alone, unwanted thoughts began to plague him as he pulled on his own clothes. Losing his virginity was a pretty important milestone in his eyes, and he knew Haruhi would feel the same way. But it was different for girls of course, and Tamaki wondered if she hadn't enjoyed it as much as he'd thought. Perhaps she had regrets now.

Just as he was pulling on his boxers, the adjacent bathroom door slammed open, revealing a red-faced Haruhi.

"I… sorry!" she squeaked, immediately averting her eyes. Tamaki chuckled.

"It's ok Haruhi. Besides… its not anything you haven't seen before, right?" as Haruhi continued to avoid his eye, Tamaki's voice faded and by the end of the sentence it sounded more like a question than a flirty remark.

"Uh… we should probably join the others" he bowed his head and quickly continued pulling on his clothes as Haruhi scurried past him into the living area. He grabbed his wallet, keys and the other few essentials before joining her and making their way to the dining area together.

They found the other hosts occupying most of the space, the other patrons noticeably avoiding the group of unsupervised teenagers who were rowdily chatting and eating copious amounts of the foreign food.

Honey senpai was despairing at the lack of sweets available at breakfast, and Mori was attempting to pacify him with pancakes and some sweet Spanish snack; Kyoya was calmly writing in his little black book, ignoring his friends; and the twins were causing a commotion by wandering around the dining area looking for food and conversing with pretty foreign girls (not always civilly, by the mischievous looks on their faces).

"Hey, boss" Hikaru greeted, grabbing a plate of pancakes and flinging himself into the only chair with a spare seat next to it. Annoyingly, Kaoru sat himself opposite his brother rather than next to him, causing Tamaki and Haruhi to separate.

"Morning" Tamaki replied warily.

"Tama-chan, Tama-chan, look!" Suddenly excited, Honey bounded over to the newcomers, holding up a slightly greased piece of paper. "While you and Haru-chan were sleeping, we organised our whole day!"

At that, the twins exchanged glances and made some snide remark Tamaki didn't quite catch. As Haruhi blushed and angrily began to defend herself, Tamaki turned his attention back to Honey Senpai.

"Oh? And what are we doing today?"

Honey grinned widely, his whole face lighting up. "Weeell, we're going to go on a couple of tours and trips, so Kyoya hired a couple of cars to take us around the city!"

Tamaki smiled as he helped himself to a slice of toast. "That sounds splendid, Honey-Senpai! We should leave after breakfast, right?"

They all agreed and quickly headed out after a rushed meal. When they reached the awaiting limos, Tamaki tried to get close to Haruhi, but was again blocked by the other hosts. Unfortunately, the rest of the day passed in an infuriatingly similar way with the young couple being separated at every turn.

The day progressed slowly, with the hosts visiting sites such as Park Güell and the Casa Milà, and they were all beautiful, but all paled in light of recent events to Tamaki. He was determined to get back to the hotel as soon as possible to have some time with Haruhi.

But of course, the others had decided to stop while they were out and enjoy their last dinner in Spain at a fancy restaurant in the city.

"Uh don't you think this is a little over the top Kyoya senpai?" Haruhi asked warily as the host club traipsed together into the high-class eatery.

Before Kyoya had the chance to answer, Hikaru had slung his arm around the girl's shoulders "of course not Haruhi!"

"It's a celebration! We deserve to indulge a little!" Kaoru continued, slinging his arm around her other shoulder.

Haruhi scoffed. "Why exactly do we 'deserve' this?"

"It's been a _long_ weekend." Kyoya stressed tiredly before disappearing.

Haruhi sighed. _He's right about that._

They were led into a private dining room by an overenthusiastic waitress and immediately served a plethora of different drinks. Fortunately, Mori took Kyoya's place as 'mummy' and steered his more wayward friends (the twins) away from the alcohol.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the sulking twins and went to the closest seat hoping the dinner would be over soon. Honestly the day had tired her out and she just wanted to go back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before their flight left.

It didn't take long before she gave in to these desires. "Guys, I'm getting tired, I think I'm going to head back to get some sleep before we leave" Haruhi announced as she stood.

"She's right, we really should be heading back soon." Kyoya agreed.

"What? But Kyoya, I haven't finished my cake yet!" Honey pouted.

"Yeah, and we're not done either!" the twins said in unison.

Kyoya sighed. "Fine. I'll call another car for you later. I need to run through some things with my father, so I'll go back to the hotel with Haruhi. Does anyone else want to come with us?"

Haruhi hoped she didn't look too desperate when she looked at Tamaki, but of course was disappointed when he didn't even look at her.

She looked down as Kyoya led her out of the room, trying to convince herself that her eyes were watery because of her contacts.

* * *

Tamaki opened up the apartment door, slinging his jacket over the back of the couch and heading straight to the fridge. He'd spent the last few hours at the restaurant with Honey, Mori and the twins swapping jokes and talking rather than actually eating, and while on holiday, he'd reverted back to his French ways, preferring to snack than eat regular meals.

"Haruhi, I'm back" he called out, pulling out a complimentary chocolate bar from the fridge. Better than nothing. "Are you done packing? You know we have to leave by…" as he approached the bedroom door, he realised she probably hadn't heard him, as he could hear her voice through the door. Probably talking to someone on the phone.

" _Thank you, Mei"_

Ah, Mei. Well that wasn't too much of a surprise. Haruhi hadn't spoken to Mei in a while and it made sense that she'd want to tell her about Spain… Wait. What if Haruhi had told Mei about them having sex? Tamaki flushed red. It wasn't that he was ashamed or embarrassed of the fact, but it was personal. He liked Mei well enough, but he wasn't sure he was okay with the girl being privy to his sex life…

" _Mei?"_ Tamaki was snapped back into reality as he heard Haruhi's voice again.

" _Uh… Well… I don't think so… But… it can't be that bad! Uh… what are the chances aha…"_ Haruhi laughed nervously, and Tamaki suddenly felt guilty. He shouldn't be listening in to his girlfriend's private conversations… It was completely unethical and rude.

It probably wasn't the best solution, but Tamaki decided that the best thing to do was announce himself clearly rather than stay eavesdropping.

"Haruhi!" he called, trying to act as though he hadn't been there the whole time. As he opened the door, he barely noticed how Haruhi hung up her phone and practically threw it on the bedside table.

"Uh Senpai!"

"Hello" he greeted cheerily, his eyes flickering to the phone.

"Um… did- how long were you standing there for?"

Tamaki shrugged. "Just a second. Who were you talking to?" he asked innocently, despite already knowing it had been Mei she was speaking to.

"Oh… Mei. She wanted to know what Barcelona's like."

Tamaki nodded. "I'm sure. We're very lucky to be able to visit."

Ignoring Haruhi's blush, Tamaki threw himself down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Um, Tama-"

"Are you all packed?"

Haruhi glanced over at the wardrobe where her few clothes were still hung up. Crap. She'd meant to start packing earlier, but had gotten caught up with her conversation with Mei… speaking of which, her heart was still pounding… What if-

"Haruhi?"

It took the brunette a moment to realise that Tamaki was still staring at her, waiting for an answer.

"Oh – no. I'll get on that now." She went to jump up, but was stopped by a warm hand grabbing her wrist. Haruhi looked down at his wrist, and then to Tamaki's face.

He looked exhausted.

"Haruhi… Please… I need to know…"

She peered down at him, wide-eyed.

"Do you… do you regret what happened last night?" he asked, vulnerabilities shining through clearly. Haruhi's resolve instantly melted at Tamaki's words. Seeing him look so vulnerable pulled at her heartstrings and she was reminded of why she loved this man.

"N-no! I - did you think I did?" she exclaimed louder than she meant to. Tamaki bit his lip and looked away.

"I – maybe. I mean, you haven't really spoken to me all day…" he confessed.

"You haven't spoken to me either" Haruhi retorted. "Did you regret it?"

"No!" Tamaki cried, before his face began to redden. "of course not," he continued in a lower register "I… I could never regret doing something so… profound with you. We got to experience something wonderful together, and I am so grateful for that"

Haruhi bit her lip as she blushed but didn't break their eye contact.

"I… I think so too" she told him softly.

Tamaki smiled. "I guess there was no point in being so… awkward all day after all then?"

Haruhi swallowed but nodded. He didn't need to know the other reason she was nervous. Not yet, at least. "I guess not."

* * *

The host club had booked their private jet for the last possible flight out of Spain. They headed to the airport and were escorted to board their flight by a gaggle of Kyoya's security.

This was only Haruhi's second time on an aeroplane at all, let alone a private jet, the first time having been their flight to Spain. Needless to say, the luxury of it all continued to baffle her.

"Was this really all necessary" she marvelled as a she spotted a television built in to the back of the front seats.

"Oh absolutely. The best is really what we're paying for so it makes sense that we get these little luxuries, wouldn't you say Haruhi?" Kyoya explained. Haruhi shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable. Despite having paid off her debt for the host club, money was still a touchy subject for her, especially considering Tamaki had paid for her to come all the way to Spain, not to mention the ridiculously overpriced transport involved.

To an extent, she understood Tamaki wanting to spoil her – after all, isn't that how couples act? But she'd really prefer a coffee or something once in a while, not a whole planned vacation. Not that she was ungrateful. Instead, Haruhi promised herself to act more independent. She didn't want to get used to the expensive gifts, after all she valued hard work.

"Haruhi, come here!" Tamaki called from the middle of the plane. Between the traditional aeroplane seats at the front and back, there was a sort of lounge area on the plane with a white sofa on either side, separated by a coffee table in the middle.

Haruhi squeezed behind the table to sit next to Tamaki on the sofa and couldn't help the small smile that escaped when he wrapped his arm around her back, embracing her, but not in a way too intimate that it would be noticed by their friends.

"When we get back it will be four in the afternoon in Boston" Kyoya mused as he seated himself opposite the couple. "I'm going to try to catch up on some sleep during the flight."

The other hosts nodded frantically, knowing the terrifying consequences of waking up a sleeping Kyoya. As he left, the twins took Kyoya's seat on the other sofa and Mori led Honey to the adjoining room where the staff kept the food for some cake.

"So, that was a pretty fun vacation, right?" Kaoru supplied, putting his legs up on the table.

"Yeah, I thought so," Hikaru said, copying his twins actions, "what about you, Tamaki senpai? Was it a fun first vacation as a couple?"

As the couple blushed, the twins' evil grins only grew.

"How did he phrase it again, Kaoru?"

"A honeymoon, I think."

The two cocked their heads sideways, resulting in a perfect mirror image of each other.

"Well, was it?" they asked together.

Much to her annoyance, Haruhi flushed again, and Tamaki unconsciously drew her in closer to him.

 _They know_ , she though furiously. Although how she had no idea. Those rooms had been sound-proof, she remembered Tamaki telling her that… Unfortunately, remembering that little detail only made her blush again.

Thankfully, Tamaki was much better at putting his thoughts into words in that moment. "Leave us alone, you guys" he protested.

The twins rolled their eyes in complete synch, looking even creepier by the minute. "Alright, alright" they said, holding their hands up in mock surrender.

Haruhi sighed in relief, thankfully only noticed by Tamaki, who tightened his grip on her waist. She looked up at him and smiled.

"You know," she started, turning away to look at the twins again, "it was a fun holiday. I'm glad I went."

Unnoticed by the twins, she reached under the table and intertwined her fingers with Tamaki, who immediately complied. Unfortunately, they did notice the short kiss that Tamaki initiated after, and proceeded to tease them for the remainder of the flight.

* * *

 **I really struggled with this chapter, and I'm sorry if its sucks, and I'm sorry that it's out so late! I was sick last week so didn't have a chance to catch up with my writing and when I did I had awful writers block and the juices were just not flowing. I'm still not really happy with this chapter, but I chucked in some fluff which I hope you liked! Let me know what you thought in a review, they are much appreciated! (oh and I promise that things will pick up really quickly after this** **)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Did you get my gift? I made sure to send it a few weeks in advance so I hope you haven't opened it yet!"

"Yeah dad, I've got it, I opened it this morning. Thank you, but I wish you would stop spending so much on me" Haruhi placed the hand that wasn't holding her hand on her hip as she looked down at the (admittedly) beautiful dress her dad had sent her for Christmas. Beautiful, but impractical and definitely not her style. She sighed. "We really can't afford for you to keep-"

"Nonsense! You're my daughter, I have a right to spoil you!" Ranka interrupted.

"Yeah okay, I'll let it go since it's Christmas," she rolled her eyes "how are you?" Haruhi would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried about her dad. Holidays and birthdays were always a little difficult since Kotoko died, but Ranka always made the effort for Haruhi. This year however was his first year alone for Christmas as Haruhi was studying abroad, and she wanted to make sure he wasn't going to just run off to the bar, get drunk and ramble to strangers about his daughter.

"Oh, I'm good, tomorrow is going to be fun! I'm just whipping up a few deserts now, and in the morning I'll take them over to Misuzu's! He and Mei invited me to spend the day with them."

Oh good, at least he wouldn't be alone then.

"Oh, that's ni – wait, Mei's there too?"

The last time she had spoken to Mei was when she was in Spain… it wasn't exactly a pleasant conversation, and Haruhi was still freaked out by Mei's parting words. It was part of the reason why she hadn't called her back, as she knew they couldn't just avoid the topic… now more than ever.

" _You guys used protection, right?" … "Uh… Well… I don't think so"_

Now Haruhi was sure that the answer to that question was 'no', and even more frighteningly, she'd missed her period. At first, Haruhi had been sure to remind herself that she'd been late before and at her age it was completely normal for her cycle to act up every once in a while… But now knowing that pregnancy was a very real possibility, Haruhi was too afraid to call her only confidant, lest she interrogate her again.

"Yes! I suppose their relationship really has improved, and Mei decided to spend the holidays with Misuzu instead of her mother this year. I got her a similar dress to yours as a gift, but I know she likes to make her own clothes, so I hope she likes it."

Glancing at the sequined dress her father had bought her again, Haruhi privately thought that it was much more Mei's style than hers, so at least he'd gotten that right…

"She'll love it dad. Mei's all about anything fashion."

"Oh good! And I got your parcel by the way too Haruhi, I'm waiting until the morning to open it! Anyhow, it's getting late here, and I really should get started on baking some treats!"

"Okay dad, I'll talk to you later … Love you too" Haruhi frowned as she hung up the phone. The time zones really sucked at times. It was 7 on Christmas morning in Boston, but it was 9 in the evening back in Japan, meaning she didn't really get to speak to her dad on Christmas at all, but it had always been a tradition of hers to wake up early and open presents with her dad. Of course, things were different this year, so she'd only opened his…

"Haruhiii!" the brunette groaned as she heard her boyfriend knocking obnoxiously at the 'love door'. "It's Christmas!"

Haruhi sighed. "I know that, baka. What are you doing up so early? We're all getting together later anyway."

"Well, yes" Tamaki replied in a small voice, "but I wanted to spend some time with you a few hours before the others get here… I mean, it's our first Christmas as a couple after all…"

Haruhi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did he always have to be so sweet?

"Fine!" she called out, defeated. "Fine, just let me move the furniture and I'll open the door…" after pulling the desk out of the way of the door, Haruhi opened the door connecting her and her boyfriend's apartments to see him standing there proudly alongside Antoinette.

"Good morning Haruhi!" he greeted airily.

"Why are you up so early?" Haruhi asked bluntly.

"It's Christmas!" he exclaimed joyfully, as though that explained everything. Antoinette barked in approval. Haruhi looked down at the animal and felt her resolve melt a little.

"I guess if you agree, Antoinette" she said fondly, stroking behind the dog's ears.

Tamaki stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him while his girlfriend played with his dog. "I thought you'd be awake by now, so I thought I'd come over and give you my present"

Haruhi blinked. "You bought me a present?"

"Well of course! You're my girlfriend!" Tamaki replied indignantly, insulted at the notion he shouldn't have gotten her a gift.

Haruhi, on the other hand was horrified. "Tamaki senpai, you just took me to _Spain_! I thought that was my gift!" She hated feeling like she was in his debt. "You can't just… keep wasting money on me!"

Tamaki looked scandalised. "It's not a waste! It's not as if… well, it's not like I can't afford to lose the money, so why not spoil you?"

Haruhi crossed her arms and scoffed as he went on. "That's not the point! I… I can't repay you! You… you shower me in expensive gifts and holidays and do all these ridiculous things in hopes they'll make me happy, like moving to America to be with me… I can't… I can't repay you for those things! How am I supposed to… compete with that? I – I'm just a commoner, Tamaki!" It wasn't until the end of her mini rant that Haruhi realised her voice was cracking, being on the verge of tears. _Great_.

Tamaki exhaled deeply. "Don't be ridiculous. You have given me everything I've ever wanted. I don't need money, I have enough of that and I've learnt that it doesn't bring happiness. You bring me happiness, and I just want to make you happy. Besides, I didn't spend much on this. Please, open it" he held out the wrapped package to her.

Sighing, Haruhi took the package and led her stubborn boyfriend over to her sofa. When she sat down to open it, he moved right next to her, Antoinette also moving to lay at their feet.

It was a beautifully wrapped rectangular package, covered in baby blue wrapping paper and a well-done silver bow tied onto it. Haruhi took care removing the material and opened it up to reveal… a book.

"Open it" Tamaki urged her. Confused, Haruhi opened the first page to see a photo of her and Tamaki kissing on the balcony the night of the masquerade ball at Ouran.

"How did you –"

"The twins," Tamaki explained, a bit regretfully "I didn't even know they had this until Kyoya put it up on the host club's website – that was the most expensive part of the gift, trust me-"

"This photo is on the host club's website?" Haruhi shrieked, startling Antoinette who began to whine.

"No no!" Tamaki said quickly. "Not anymore, at least. I made them take it down."

Haruhi sighed. Thank god. The girls at the club had been nice enough about her being revealed as a girl (for the few moments she saw them when they found out anyway), but she wasn't sure to how they would react to such a blatant show of the intimacy her and their beloved prince's relationship.

"Thank you, Tamaki" she said sincerely, turning to plant an unexpected kiss on his cheek. The blonde turned red.

"Ah, there's more" he said anxiously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Haruhi continued to turn the pages. The rest of the book contained pictures mostly from their adventures in Spain and a few other couple-y shots of her and her boyfriend. It was only about a quarter full.

"I left some spare pages for us to fill up later. You know, in the future." Tamaki blushed bright red and turned his head away, but Haruhi thought it was the cutest thing she'd seen. She reached out and used her hand to gently pull his head back towards her and planted a kiss directly on his lips.

"This is the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten," she told him honestly "thank you."

Tamaki smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Haruhi nodded happily, but then frowned as she remembered his gift wouldn't be ready until later. "Sorry, but I'll have to give your present to you tonight."

"Oh really" Tamaki waggled his eyebrows and smirked, making Haruhi regret all her decisions up to that point.

"No! It's not that!" she slapped his arm, but this backfired as he was able to grab her arm and pull her into an embrace.

"I know" he mumbled, placing his lips to the top of her head. Haruhi couldn't help but smile and buried her face into his chest, enjoying the intimacy. "Haruhi, I –" Tamaki broke off abruptly, prompting Haruhi to look up at him. "I really want to kiss you right now."

Haruhi blushed. It was just like Tamaki to piss her off and then go and do or say something that made her fall in love with him all over again. _If only I could tell him that_ , she thought privately.

"Go on then" she whispered breathily. _I can at least show him._

In an instant, Tamaki had tilted her chin up and bent down to capture her lips with his own. He's so tall, she thought dreamily as she returned the kiss with more enthusiasm than he'd expected.

They hadn't really done much since their rendezvous in Spain, but the feelings were still very much there and Haruhi thought this was the perfect time for a refreshers course.

* * *

Honestly, Haruhi really didn't want to get out of bed, but that really would be impractical. Rolling over to check that Tamaki was still asleep, she placed a gentle kiss on his temple before climbing out of bed.

She looked around the room for her pyjamas (she really didn't feel like getting properly dressed), but it seemed as if in the heat of the moment, the garments had been thrown haphazardly to the most difficult to reach places in the room. Groaning, Haruhi headed to the wardrobe before noticing her fathers dress on the ground.

Haruhi supposed now was as good a time as any to try the thing on.

Not bothering putting on any underwear, Haruhi slipped the sparkly garment over her head and tugged it down so that it slipped into place properly on her body. It seemed to fit perfectly, except for it being a little snug around… her chest…

Haruhi looked at the mirror to discover that the beautiful and innocent dress suddenly looked scandalous coupled with her suddenly there breasts.

The teenager gaped at the mirror as she examined her chest area in the dress… it must have been an illusion, she thought. Haruhi had never had any sort of cleavage in her life, but she suddenly seemed to have moved up a cup size.

Beyond embarrassed, Haruhi slipped off the dress and briefly looking at her naked body in the mirror before finding something less… revealing to wear.

 _When had that happened_ , she asked herself furiously. It seemed as though the dress hadn't been an illusion and she really had moved up a cup size seemingly overnight… there was no way she was going to wear that dress in front of the guys… oh God, Tamaki had seen her naked, had he noticed the sudden growth?

Haruhi was completely perplexed by this recent discovery. She'd always been flat chested, briefly growing to an A cup during puberty and then stopping completely. And now there was suddenly no way she could go back to pretending to be a boy.

Haruhi slipped on an oversized t-shirt, glad that it hid her now B-cup breasts and a pair of shorts before making her way to the kitchen.

The brunette hummed as she made up some coffee and began to prepare some breakfast for her and Tamaki. She wondered how her life had turned so drastically in such a short amount of time. Just a few months ago she had been a mere acquaintance of the man she now loved and was possibly carrying the child of… _Oh crap._ Haruhi closed her eyes _. We did it again. We had unprotected sex_ again _. How could I be so stupid_ , she reprimanded herself.

Haruhi groaned as she transferred the food from the frying pan to a couple of plates. What's done is done, I suppose, she thought angrily. Picking up the cup of coffee on her way out, Haruhi carried the items carefully back into her bedroom where Tamaki was still lying dead asleep.

Setting down the plates on the bedside table, Haruhi moved to lean over the sleeping blonde.

"Tamaki" she cooed in a sing-song voice. The boy groaned and moved over in his sleep, mumbling incoherently.

"Tamaki, wake up" she repeated in a firmer voice, reaching out to shake him a little.

Tamaki groaned again, but did open his eyes, blinking a little as he adjusted to the light now filtering in through the curtains.

"Haruhi? Hmmm, morning" he reached out to pull Haruhi towards him by her waist and kissed her hand. Blushing, Haruhi pulled away to fetch his coffee for him.

"I made breakfast" she said softly, passing him the cup.

Tamaki leant up in the bed to take the coffee and sipped thoughtfully. "Thank you" he replied honestly.

Haruhi smiled before passing him the plate. "Enjoy" she told him, joining him at his side and picking up her own plate.

As they ate, Antoinette traipsed into the bedroom and hopped up onto the bed when she smelt food, causing Tamaki to jump up and scold her before Haruhi assured him it was okay and fed her some of her bacon.

"It's nearly ten," Haruhi noted "the others will start showing up soon… You should probably take a shower" she joked as she leant into him.

"Right" Tamaki said playfully, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her further into him. "Care to join me?"

The small girl grinned widely, for the first time in a while feeling genuinely happy, thoughts of Mei and pregnancy pushed to the back of her mind. She decided she wasn't going to let her intrusive thoughts get in the way of Christmas.

"Of course" she murmured happily in his ear.

* * *

 **This ended up being pretty long, so I had to stop it here and split it into two chapters. The good news is that I'm nearly a chapter ahead now! I hope you liked this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it :)**

 **Please please please review! It would mean a lot and I know you're reading ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

"Haru-chan, when do we get to eat the cake?" Honey asked joyfully.

"Cake comes after dinner, Honey senpai" Haruhi told him firmly. She had nearly finished cooking their Christmas dinner and the other hosts were waiting around the table talking.

"Aw!" Fortunately, Honey was quickly distracted by Tamaki's loveable dog who chose that moment to bound up to the small teenager.

Haruhi couldn't help but smile at the scene. The day had planned out perfectly, and she loved being surrounded by all her friends. As soon as the twins had shown up, Tamaki and Haruhi had been forced into following a bunch of American traditions, including the 'ugly sweaters' trope, which the twins had bought along with them.

Embarrassingly, the twins had two pairs of identical jumpers; a pair of ghastly red ones for the twins, which contrasted ghastly with Kaoru's hair; and another pair of violet ones which matched Tamaki's eyes for him and Haruhi, since the twins insisted that couples simply _had_ to match on occasions like this.

It was a little awkward, but Haruhi was just glad that she and Tamaki weren't the only one's matching, or with jumpers at all.

"Dinner is ready!" she announced, pulling the food out of the oven.

Tamaki rushed to her side to help prepare the food and serve it to the hosts.

"It looks delicious Haru-chan!" Honey chirped happily.

"Yeah, thanks Haruhi" the twins chorused.

"I hope its good. I cook Christmas dinner for my dad and I every year."

"You really didn't have to, Haruhi" Kyoya said, albeit gratefully "I could have had one of my servants come and cook instead."

Haruhi scoffed. "A servant? No thanks, I'm sure the commoner can do just as well."

Kyoya rolled his eyes. "You know my intention wasn't to insult you. Thank you."

Haruhi sent him a sweet smile. "You're welcome."

With all the hosts cramped into Haruhi's tiny makeshift dining room, the place was a little crowded but she really wouldn't have it any other way.

Hours later, the other hosts had left and it was just Tamaki still lounging around in Haruhi's apartment.

"Tamaki, the party's over," she told him, not unkindly "what are you still doing here?"

"You said something about a present?" Tamaki replied cheekily.

Haruhi's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! I'm sorry, just… give me a moment to get it ready."

Before Tamaki could say anything, Haruhi darted off into her bedroom, leaving him and Antoinette alone in the living room.

"What do you think she's doing, hmm?" he asked, petting her head affectionately.

It only took her a moment before Haruhi returned, phone in hand. "Here" she said, holding the phone out to him.

Tamaki looked at the object warily, confused. "Take it" she repeated.

He took the phone hesitantly, seemingly confused about why they were acting so secretive.

Haruhi couldn't help but smile as she watched him answer, it was far too heart-warming.

"Bonjour? ... attends ... maman? Maman, c'est vraiment toi? ... Tu me manques aussi! J'ai hâte de vous revoir, nous n'avons pas eu assez de temps à l'aéroport la dernière fois ... Oui, nous le ferons, promis! J'aime l'Amérique, pas autant que le Japon, mais elle a certainement ses charmes!"

[Hello? ... wait... mum? Mum is that really you? ... I miss you too! I can't wait to see you again, we didn't have enough time at the airport last time ... Yes, we will, I promise! I love America, not as much as Japan, but it certainly has it's charms!]

Haruhi was a little taken aback when Tamaki exploded into French, having never heard him speak the language much.

Of course, in theory she knew that Tamaki was raised in France, but his accent was normally unnoticeable and he always spoke perfect Japanese around the host club. But hearing him speak so enthusiastically in his mother tongue was oddly cute, and she certainly understood why it was called the language of love. The words flowed together beautifully, and every word seemed meaningful. Tamaki's passion and suddenly obvious accent made listening all the more thrilling. Haruhi felt escalator for her boyfriend, and also resolved to try and learn French for him.

She'd never noticed before but hearing him speak so animatedly made her realise he must've missed speaking his first language, dismissing how difficult it must be to translate everything everyone says for years.

"J'espère vous voir bientôt maman. J'espérais aussi que je pourrais emmener Haruhi avec moi ... oui c'est ma copine ... J'aimerais l'emmener en France un jour, je veux qu'elle l'aime autant que moi ... oui maman je pense qu'elle est le seul."

[I hope to see you soon mom, I was hoping that I could take Haruhi with me ... yes she is my girlfriend ... I would like to take her to France one day, I want her to love as much as me ... yes mom I think she's the one.]

"Oui, définitivement, je promets que nous nous reverrons bientôt. En fait, j'aimerais vous présenter Haruhi, ma petite amie ... J'espérais l'emmener en France, je veux qu'elle le voie et aime autant l'endroit que moi ... Oui, je pense qu'elle est la seule."

[Yes, definitely, I promise we'll meet up soon. I, er, I'd actually like to introduce you to Haruhi, my girlfriend... I was hoping to bring her to France, I want her to see it and love the place as much as I do ... Yes, I do think she's the one.]

Upon hearing her name, Haruhi had turned back to watch Tamaki speaking on the phone and raised her eyebrows when she saw him blush and look away from her. That was interesting... If only she understood what he was saying.

* * *

Tamaki remained on the phone with his mother for hours, ecstatic to hear her voice again after so long.

Haruhi stayed with him the whole time, sitting on the sofa with her head on his chest, listening to his conversation despite not understanding a word.

It was nearing midnight when Tamaki hung the phone with one final "Je t'aime" to his mother. He pushed the red button on the phone and gave it back to Haruhi wordlessly.

"So," Haruhi grinned "did you like your-"

Tamaki cut her off abruptly by passionately smashing his lips against hers.

"Thank you" he whispered as he pulled back, his eyes clearly watering. Haruhi shrugged.

"It was nothing"

"No," Tamaki grasped her hand "it was everything… Truly I…" seeming to not be able to find the right words, Tamaki did the only thing he could think of and kissed her again.

"Will you come to France with me?" he asked breathlessly between kisses. Haruhi moaned, pulling apart.

"You… what?" she practically panted.

"I want you to come to France with me in the new year to meet my mother" he said seriously.

Haruhi blanched. "You what?" she repeated flatly. "Tamaki, wasn't I just telling you I don't want extravagant gifts and –"

"I'm not doing it for you!" he interrupted. "This is for me," he took her hand in his own "I want to back to France to see my mother, and I want you to come with me. Please Haruhi. I l- you're my girlfriend and I want you to meet my mother. Please."

Haruhi bit her lip. On one hand, she hated disappointing him and really did want to go to France and meet his mother… on the other hand… she was stubborn.

Sighing, she nodded.

"I'm sorry," she kissed his forehead softly "of course I'll go with you. I can't wait."

* * *

The last thing Haruhi remembered was watching some kind of late night American movie on the sofa with Tamaki in her apartment, but evidently, she had fallen asleep and been moved. She figured Tamaki had carried her to her bed when she fell asleep… and fallen asleep with her?

"Tamaki!" she hissed, prodding the blonde in the side to no avail. "Get off me, I need to get up!"

Her hopeless boyfriend had managed to trap her in some sort of cuddle/wrestling mix, resulting in awkward and tangled limbs. It was endearing, but now she couldn't get up and she needed to pee.

Seeing how deep in sleep her boyfriend was, Haruhi had to extract herself from his arms on her own.

Carefully sliding out of his arms, Haruhi untangled their legs and quietly stepped out of the bed. She tiptoed across the room, careful not to wake Tamaki or Antoinette as she exited the bedroom and crossed the hall into her small bathroom.

She quickly did her business and washed her hands. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed that she looked completely exhausted.

Splashing some water on her face, Haruhi was suddenly overcome with the bitter feeling of nausea. She barely had time to clasp her hand over her mouth before flinging herself to the floor and vomiting into the toilet.

Her stomach continued to lurch for the next few minutes, leaving Haruhi miserable and wondering what on earth made her like this… maybe something she'd eaten…

She refused to consider the obvious.

"Haruhi?"

Drowsily, Haruhi looked up to see Tamaki leaning against the doorframe. He was rubbing his eyes, and Haruhi felt guilty for waking him up. She hadn't realised how loud her retching must've been.

She attempted to respond, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her nausea returned and she bent back over the toilet to throw up.

Tamaki immediately rushed forward and knelt behind her on the bathroom tiles, reaching to pull back Haruhi's hair. While still short, it was now at least long enough to get in the way. With one hand holding her hair and the other rubbing her back, Haruhi let herself lean back into him.

They remained like that for the next few minutes before all Haruhi could expel was water and acid. By now she was completely miserable and in pain from the acid continuously rising up her throat.

Once she was sure she was done, she groaned and fell back completely against Tamaki, content with the idea of falling asleep right then and there. Tamaki leant forward to flush the toilet and then scooped his sick girlfriend into his arms.

"You okay?" he asked with a kiss to the top of her head. Haruhi nodded, not trusting herself to open her mouth again. Tamaki seemed to sense this and hooked his arms under her legs and carrying her into the bedroom.

He laid her down on the bed before briefly leaving to fetch a glass of water.

"Here, gargle this" he offered. Haruhi accepted, grateful to get rid of the awful vomit taste left in her mouth. She'd brush her teeth later when she was feeling better.

When she set the glass down, all she felt like doing was going back to sleep.

"Wow, you must be pretty sick. I've never seen you act like this" Tamaki smiled sadly as Haruhi laid back in the bed. "I suppose living together means we get to see each other in a different light, huh?"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow "don't get ahead of yourself Senpai. We don't live together." She murmured sleepily.

"Yet" Tamaki added. He rolled onto his side and pulled the small girl into his arms. To his surprise, Haruhi didn't bother complaining and simply let herself be enveloped in his warm embrace… he was so warm… warm and safe…

* * *

 _Woof!_

Haruhi jumped as she was woken so unceremoniously. She turned to her side to see Tamaki's golden retriever jumping all over the bed and licking Tamaki's face.

Realising there was no immediate danger (other than being hit in the face by Antoinette's tail), Haruhi simply groaned and turned over, trying to get back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Tamaki was laughing. "Antoinette, stop! Nooo!"

"Tamaki, shut up!" Haruhi growled as she became more and more conscious. Somehow, she felt completely well, a major contrast from the previous night.

"Awww, Haruhi don't be like that!" to the teenagers' horror, her boyfriend decided to roll over and force her into a hug. Once Haruhi was trapped between Tamaki's arms, Antoinette stepped over Tamaki and began nudging her as well, both her and her master whining for Haruhi's attention.

"C'mon, Haruhi! It's time for my good morning kiss!" Tamaki leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her lips, but the brunette turned at the last moment.

"I was throwing up last night, remember? Besides, I'm not going to kiss you while you have dog slobber all over your face."

Tamaki groaned. "Alright, fine."

He stood up and made his way to the bathroom, presumably to wash his face and return for his morning kiss. Haruhi rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's persistence. Then again, that was one of the things she loved about him.

Before Haruhi could say anything, Antoinette succeeded in licking her. Haruhi was knocked over and practically pinned down as Antoinette slobbered all over her face.

"An – Antoinette!" Haruhi managed to push herself up and kept the dog down. Haruhi petted the golden retriever as she began to settle down.

Watching and playing with the dog gave Haruhi an odd sense of domesticity. It almost made her feel like things wouldn't turn out so bad.

If she ever were to get *gulp* pregnant, she had a feeling they could handle it. She, Tamaki and Antoinette already had some kind of family situation. They spent so much time alone together that it was practically like they were husband and wife, with Antoinette as their animal child. While a baby would undoubtedly be a lot harder to care for, especially in their situation, they could probably do it.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the reviews! Every time I see that number go up, my heart jumps a little in excitement! I'm glad you like the story so much and I hope the updates improve your mood as much as your reviews improve mine :)**


	7. Chapter 7

A week had passed since Christmas, and much to Haruhi's chagrin, the mysterious illness had not yet gone away. Practically every day in the last week she had found herself vomiting up her food up some point during the day. It was extremely tiring, especially since once she threw up the first time, she couldn't seem to stop.

Embarrassingly, Haruhi had had to ask Tamaki for an early ride home from a New Years Eve party the previous night. They'd been attending their first formal event as a couple, at one of the Suoh's American clients home in New York, when Haruhi had been overcome by sickness.

The teenager had tried to endure it for her boyfriend's sake, but after an hour all she wanted to do was crawl into bed. Of course, Tamaki had indulged her and ordered for his driver to take them home at just 10 o'clock.

Haruhi had never been more appreciate of Tamaki's caring nature as he comforted her throughout the gruelling three and a half hour drive while she unceremoniously vomited into a flimsy plastic bag.

When they finally made it home, Tamaki had insisted on carrying Haruhi to her room and spent the night holding and taking care of her. Haruhi felt so guilty for making him worry so much, but couldn't deny that it felt nice to have someone take care of her for once.

And so, the new year had begun, bringing forth a whole new set of problems and firsts for the couple, though not the sort of firsts either of them was expecting, or likely ready for. But in that moment, things were peaceful, as the young couple rung in the new year passed out from sheer exhaustion on Haruhi's bed.

Haruhi woke up slowly the next morning, feeling unusually drowsy, but otherwise feeling okay.

Glancing to her side, she noted that Tamaki wasn't next to her anymore, but she could hear noises in the kitchen. Following the sound, she realised she was right.

Tamaki was busying himself on the stove, the smell of bacon deliciously wafting up.

"Morning" Haruhi said, walking up behind him. Tamaki jumped a little and turned around.

"Haruhi! What are you doing up? You're not well, you shouldn't –"

"Please," Haruhi interrupted "I feel fine."

Tamaki didn't look convinced, but rather had concern plastered all over her face. "You've been saying that for weeks, Haruhi!" he all but shouted, not angrily but rather his voice was filled with worry. "You're not well, and I want you to see a doctor!"

Haruhi glared at him. "Don't shout at me. And don't tell me what to do either!"

Tamaki sighed, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair.

"Haruhi, I'm worried about you. Please don't fight me on this. I want you to see a doctor or… I don't know, talk to Kyoya?"

Haruhi breathed out heavily. "Okay, goodbye Tamaki" she turned around, ready to head back to bed.

"Stop doing that!"

The rare shout made Haruhi stop in her tracks.

"Stop pushing me away! I'm your boyfriend, and I'm so… so worried about you!"

Hearing the sobs in Tamaki's voice made Haruhi turn back around. The blonde was standing before her, tears in his eyes, fists clenched and an angry look on his face.

"You're all I have left! You – you can't get sick… if anything were to happen to you, then…" Tamaki took a shuddering breath which was all it took to convince Haruhi he wasn't putting on another dramatic princely act.

"You're the most important person in my life Haruhi, you and my mother, and she was sick my entire life too… I don't want that for you… So please… for my sake, for my peace of mind, please just get yourself checked out. You – you're scaring me" Haruhi felt her heart clench at the words, and stepped forwards to hug Tamaki.

"Okay… I'll give it just a little longer… then I'll see a doctor or something. I'm sure it's just a bug though – saying that, you should get away from me before you get sick too!" she stepped back and threw him a playful look, which he thankfully reciprocated.

"Nonsense! I'll always be there to look after my queen! Uh… saying that, I do have a meeting to get to. Father called me last night and asked me to apologise to the Morgan's for leaving their party…" Tamaki looked sheepish, but Haruhi simply waved him away.

"Good luck. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

* * *

Maybe she should have phrased her words better.

After her third time bending over the toilet within the hour, Haruhi grabbed her phone from the counter and dialled Mei's number. Haruhi hoped that talking to her friend would be able to reassure her before taking any further action. She wanted to be completely sure in her choices before going to a doctor and potentially having Kyoya digging through all her files.

It didn't take long for the other girl to pick up the phone.

"Hey Haruhi! What's up?"

"Oh, hey Mei! Um I'm… okay. I guess. Er, I actually wanted to discuss what we talked about last time…"

There was a beat.

"Haruhi, are you –"

"No!" Haruhi interjected quickly. "No. Well. I don't know. I guess it's a possibility. But. No. I can't be. Um… Sorry, I'm kind of a mess at the moment."

Haruhi laughed nervously, but Mei didn't sound amused.

"Haruhi, do you need some help… figuring stuff out?"

"Yes please" she squeaked uncharacteristically. All this pregnancy talk really reduced her to a nervous wreck, and she hated it.

Mei sighed. "Fine, I'll help if it'll get you to see a doctor, or at least take a test."

"Take a test?" Haruhi questioned.

"Yeah. A home pregnancy test. You don't have to go to the doctors for one, you can buy a cheap one from the pharmacy and take it home." Haruhi flinched at the word 'pregnancy'. She was still very much in denial, but sick enough of, well being sick, to look for answers.

"Oh… maybe then…" Haruhi muttered.

Mei sighed. "Alright. When was your last period?"

Haruhi blushed in embarrassment. "Mei!"

"What? I have to ask. The whole point of a period is saying 'hey, you're not pregnant', like really it's the first sign that you're –"

"Okay, okay I get it!" Haruhi said. "Um… I think maybe the second week of November."

Mei made a disapproving sound. "And you had sex with Tamaki…"

"The week after" Haruhi confirmed.

Mei groaned, and Haruhi could actually hear the facepalm. "Haruhi, if your period was the week before you and Tamaki did it, then there's a good chance you would have been ovulating" after a brief silence, Mei deadpanned "that means there would have been an even higher chance of conception than usual."

Haruhi bit her lip, willing tears back. Great, emotions were part of the package too.

"Well, that's not completely accurate. I'm still a teenager, my cycle isn't completely regular, sometimes I still skip periods, it's happened before…"

"Haruhi, who are you trying to convince here, me or you?"

Haruhi had never felt such anger at not being able to look at someone. She'd content herself by glaring at the wall.

As she refused to answer, Mei sighed. "Have you been experiencing nausea? Morning sickness is another key symptom."

"Well, not really. I mean, I have been sick recently, but mostly at random points during the day, like when I smell or eat food - but I'm fine most mornings. How can that be morning sickness? I just have a bug, Mei."

"Haruhi, morning sickness isn't restricted to only the mornings. It's improperly named and can happen at any time of the day. I remember my aunt going through this, she gave me a whole speech about what to expect when I was older."

Haruhi frowned. "I… I'm probably just sick" she repeated, more unsure than before.

"If you're just sick, then tell me this: why haven't you gone to the doctors yet?" Mei rebutted harshly.

Haruhi flushed. "Healthcare is expensive here, Mei!"

"Please. Tamaki's probably worried for you. If you can't afford a doctors checkup, you know he'd pay. You're just afraid to hear the answer-"

"Mei!" Haruhi snapped angrily. Mei tutted, knowing she'd touched a nerve on the usually indifferent girl.

"I'm sorry, but it's true!" Mei sighed. "Look, give it about another week. Then at the very least get a test just so you know that you're not."

Haruhi considered it for a minute. Mei was right, she needed the closure, but she also needed time. "Okay, I promise that if I'm still sick next week, then I'll get a test."

"Great!" Mei exclaimed. "Now, I want all the details about how Tamaki is in bed!"

"Mei!"

* * *

 _ **One week later**_

This was the fifth day in a row that Haruhi had been forced to take off school, and frankly she was sick of it, figuratively and literally.

She'd spent so much time in the bathroom that she practically camped in there now, her phone on the sink and crackers to the side. Haruhi's throat burned from the painful stomach acid rising up her system, and she felt like crying.

She'd never felt so awful in her life and knew she couldn't go much longer without knowing.

Flushing the toilet, Haruhi straightened up, and made her way back to the living room, where she'd been trying to catch up on a documentary for class, but kept getting interrupted by her upset stomach.

Antoinette was lying at the foot of the couch, alternating between tugging on and chewing a rope toy Tamaki had bought for her. The golden retriever looked up as Haruhi emerged from the bathroom and tilted her head as if to ask a question.

"I'm alright, Antoinette" Haruhi said, petting the dogs head as she sat down. Antoinette whined and sat up so that she could rest her head in Haruhi's lap. The teenage girl smiled and continued stroking the dog.

Antoinette had been with her all morning, which had been frightening when Haruhi woke up to see her wide brown eyes staring down at her, but she felt bad putting the animal back in Tamaki's apartment alone, especially when she found the note Tamaki had left her.

 _Hey Haruhi, I hope you're feeling better._

 _Please don't go to school today, you can easily catch up on any assignments or tests, your health is far more important._

 _I'm sorry I couldn't stay there with you, but we have a test today and I couldn't miss it, so I left Antoinette behind to take my place in comforting you! She's an excellent companion and suberb listener, so I'm sure you two will get along well!_

 _I'll be back around 4, if you're feeling well enough I suggest you go to the pharmacy and get some medicine, or if not call me and I'll stop by the shops and get you some on the way home._

 _Always yours, Tamaki 3_

Of course, her sappy boyfriend had to add a little heart at the end. Haruhi found herself rolling her eyes, but not spitefully.

"Come on Antoinette, up!" she called the dog, patting the seat next to her. Antoinette was only too happy to jump up on the sofa and snuggle up to her owners girlfriend. "Tamaki said you could comfort me in his place, so I guess this is ok" she said, letting the dog rest her head in her lap.

Haruhi reached over to grab the remote, but was stopped as Antoinette began nudging her.

"Hey, Ant-" Haruhi broke off as she realised what the dog was doing. Antoinette was very focused on nudging Haruhi's stomach, as if trying to move the clothes, as well as sniffing around her belly.

Haruhi snapped away from the dog, earning a yelp of confusion from Antoinette, but Haruhi wasn't paying attention. She looked down at her stomach in fear and held her hands against it to check for flatness. Fear gripped her as she remembered how Antoinette sniffed her belly. Did dogs have a sixth sense? They could sense things like fear, and… babies?

Yes, that sounded right, Haruhi was sure animals could sense when their owners were sick or… pregnant.

 _Fuck._

Haruhi ran a hand through her hair. _Shit_.

She knew she couldn't leave it any longer. The suspicions were really starting to get to her, and she needed some clarification.

Pushing Antoinette out of the way, Haruhi made her way to bedroom to grab her purse and keys before heading out.

The whole time she walked to the grocery store, Haruhi was in a catatonic state between crying and heading home, but knowing she needed the relief of finally knowing.

When she finally reached the pharmacy, Haruhi headed straight to the feminine products section looking for a test, and spent another three minutes deciding on which would be most accurate. Haruhi was sure to also grab some other inconspicuous items, such as a magazine and a can of deodorant (she was running low anyway). When she went to pay for her items, she sensed that the cashier knew what she was trying to hide and avoided eye contact.

Haruhi rushed home and quickly barricaded herself in the bathroom to take the test.

It took her several minutes for Haruhi to work up the nerve to actually take the test, and then had to prepare herself to actually look at the test.

As the minutes passed, Haruhi found herself getting more and more anxious, before it was finally time to look.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi flipped over the test and opened her eyes.

There were…

Two lines.

 _Two lines, two lines, what did that mean again?_ Haruhi thought desperately. She reached for the box and peered at the description on the side.

Two lines means positive.

 _Positive…_

Throwing away her reservations, Haruhi let out a sob. She bent over the sink, resting her head on the edge and watching the tears fall from her face.

Haruhi Fujioka was pregnant.

It was confirmed now. The test was positive. She was going to have a baby. She was going to be a mother – a teenaged mother at that.

Oh God…

That now familiar feeling overtook her and Haruhi barely had enough time to move towards the toilet before puking up her guts once again, crying the entire time.

* * *

 **So, I'd originally written a whole other chapter about the New Years Eve party, but it was giving me serious writers block, which I realised was probably because it didn't really contribute anything to the plot, so I just summed it up at the beginning of this chapter and fast tracked the revelation for you guys. I deliberated over making it a cliffhanger, but you all knew what the result would be lol, and yeah Haruhi already kind of knew, but I feel like the confirmation would still come as a shock to her and so I wrote it that way.**

 **To all the new followers and reviewers, thank you so much for your lovely comments, I'm glad you all like it so far, and that's why you're getting a *really* early update (also I'll probably be busy over the weekend so we're lucky this was prewritten :p )**

 **Oh, and I'm thinking of changing the title of this story. I'm not sure what to, but The Host Club's Heir sounds hella tacky, so this is your opportunity to contribute! If you have an idea, then pop a title in your review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, Haruhi found herself in the most uncomfortable position of bending over a toilet seat as she retched into the bowl. One of the worst things about morning sickness, she had found was the fact that she couldn't seem to get used to it.

It had been a week since Haruhi found out she was pregnant, and although she had managed to rationalise it within that time, she found that she was still struggling to accept the fact that there was a tiny human being growing inside her.

Fortunately, she wasn't left with the same sense of shock. Finding out she was pregnant was one of the most stressful events Haruhi had ever been through alongside the death of her mother.

* * *

 _ **~ FLASHBACK ~**_

Oh god.

What would Tamaki say?

What would her dad say?

Shit, what would Tamaki's father say? He was the schools chairman! What if he kicked her out of Ouran?

Oh god, Tamaki's grandmother. Yes, her attitude towards Tamaki had improved in recent months, but Haruhi doubted the Suoh matriarch would take kindly to another illegitimate child. It would almost certainly ruin any progress Tamaki had worked so hard to make towards his family.

Would they force her to get rid of it?

 _Maybe they won't have to_ , a little voice at the back of Haruhi's head said traitorously. _I'm far too young to carry a child… I'm in a stressful situation and I'm at school full time… there is the possibility of a miscarriage being more likely…_

Haruhi looked down at the test in her hand, the glowing plus sign almost taunting her. She wrapped the test up in some toilet paper and threw it in the rubbish bin.

No… as much as she didn't want to admit it, Haruhi didn't want to lose the child. As selfish as it was, she thought she could grow to love this baby that was half her, half the man she loved, and couldn't bear the thought of going through such a traumatic experience.

However, having the child wouldn't be an ideal situation, and Haruhi seriously doubted her maternal abilities. Not to mention Tamaki's complete lack of preparation to be a father – she didn't need to talk to him to know he couldn't handle a child at this point.

Speaking of which…

When Tamaki got home that night, Haruhi couldn't bring herself to tell him and simply locked herself alone in her apartment instead. She needed to wrap her head around the pregnancy before she started telling other people.

 **~ END FLASHBACK ~**

* * *

After that night, Haruhi had gone back to normal life and pretended like nothing was wrong while screaming on the inside.

Although Tamaki continued to inquire about her illness, Haruhi assured him that she'd picked up some medication and would be well again soon enough, hoping he'd buy the lie while she thought of ways to tell him about their little predicament.

Of course, being curious about her new condition, Haruhi had done what she did best: research. She'd checked up and down the Internet for information regarding pregnancy and found a helpful little tracker which told her that she dreaded morning sickness would dissipate sometime after the third month.

However, Haruhi wasn't entirely sure this sickness was caused by the foetus growing inside her.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki knocked on the door. "Are you alright in there?"

"Yes," she replied "just a little flight sickness!"

She never had particularly enjoyed aeroplanes. Soon after she had found out about the pregnancy, Tamaki had delivered the news that they had the okay for a trip to France and with the long weekend coming up, he quickly booked the flights.

Haruhi didn't have much to complain about. She'd promised she'd go to meet his mother, and she'd researched the safety of flying while pregnant to be safe. Haruhi figured she might as well do some travel while she was able, especially since her research revealed that she wouldn't be able to fly home after the end of her course as it would be too risky for the baby.

It saddened her a little that her first born would have to be born in America rather than Japan, but it seemed like Haruhi would have to be making a lot of sacrifices.

Straightening up, Haruhi cleaned herself up and exited the planes abnormally large bathroom. Tamaki was waiting for her on the other side of the door.

"Feeling better?" he asked. Haruhi shrugged.

"More or less. I'm done throwing up now anyway."

"Do you want some of your medicine?" Tamaki said worriedly.

"Ah, no." Haruhi bit her lip. In truth, she didn't have any medicine, as the only cure for morning sickness was letting it happen and/or waiting for the end of the first trimester, but she'd had to come up with some kind of lie to assure Tamaki. She still felt guilty. "I had some before we got on the plane, so this is probably just motion sickness."

Looking around the cabin she could see that there was a rather comfortable looking sofa in the seating area. "You don't mind if I sleep the rest of the flight away, do you?" she asked, desperately hoping to catch up on some well needed sleep. Her morning sickness had a tendency to show up during the early hours of the morning, breaking up Haruhi's sleep.

Tamaki shook his head. "Of course not, mon amour" he planted a soft kiss on his girlfriend's forehead and led her over to the sofa. As Haruhi made herself comfortable, Tamaki slipped behind her and pulled her head up to rest on his chest so that she was laying alongside him. Haruhi inhaled his scent happily and let his arms envelop her as she fell into her dreams.

* * *

"Haruhi?"

Haruhi stirred slightly as Tamaki shook her gently.

"Haruhi, wake up. We're here."

As she came to, Haruhi realised that she was now lying on Tamaki's lap instead of his chest. She looked up to see Tamaki smiling down at here.

"Tamaki?" she said drowsily as she pulled herself upright.

'Welcome to France, Haruhi."

Tiredness seemed to be a prominent symptom of pregnancy, Haruhi was beginning to realise. As Tamaki led her out of the plane and into the waiting car, the girl barely said a word or took note of a thing happening, content to be escorted around and to fall asleep on Tamaki in the car.

Unfortunately, this led to her being awaken again not long after by Tamaki again. When Haruhi looked around, she noticed the beautiful house alone on a country street and couldn't help but smile. The Suoh mansions in Japan were just that: mansions, not homes. However, it seemed like Tamaki's childhood home really was a warm place.

"Is your mother home now?"

Tamaki nodded happily. "Yes, she promised she'd be waiting at the window for us! Come on, I can't wait any longer!" with that, Tamaki grabbed Haruhi's hand and practically pulled her to the front door while the staff dealt with their luggage. Haruhi couldn't find it in her to complain after seeing the sheer look of glee plastered across her boyfriend's face. She found herself more excited for him to reunited with his mother than nervous to meeting her.

Tamaki rapped on the door several times, practically bouncing on the spot as they waited.

It took less than a minute for firstly a dog to start barking, and then the sound of the door unlocking.

"Maman!" as the door opened, Tamaki let go of Haruhi's hand to throw his arms around his mother.

"Oh Tamaki, I miss you so much!"

Tamaki removed himself from his mother's hug to step back and tug Haruhi into the house, Anne-Sophie shutting the door behind her.

"Maman, this is Haruhi!"

Haruhi shifted awkwardly as her boyfriend's mother turned her attention towards her.

Anne-Sophie gave Haruhi a wide smile and leant forward to greet her with a kiss on each cheek, French style. "It's so lovely to finally meet you in person!" she exclaimed happily.

"Oh, yes, you too!" Haruhi replied quickly. Technically, her first exchange with Tamaki's mother had been when she'd extracted her contact information from Kyoya and called Anne-Sophie directly to organise a phone call between her and Tamaki for Christmas.

As if sensing her nervousness, Tamaki wrapped an arm around Haruhi and pulled her into a semi-hug before leaning in for a kiss. Haruhi blushed and turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek rather than her mouth, uncomfortable with PDA in front of his mother.

Anne-Sophie chuckled. "Why don't I give you a quick tour of the house? Unfortunately, our guest bedrooms have been filled up or are being renovated, so you two will stay in Tamaki's old bedroom."

"Uh, like, together?" Tamaki asked awkwardly.

"Well of course!" Anne-Sophie laughed. The young couple exchanged a look that clearly said nothing but sleeping would be done over the weekend.

Anne-Sophie continued on her tour of the house, and Haruhi found that it wasn't as big as some of the other wealthy family homes she had visited but was far more homely. When they had gone around the whole house, Anne-Sophie led her son and his girlfriend back to the living room, anxious for the opportunity to embarrass her son.

"You know Tamaki, I have some old baby photos of you lying around somewhere, give me a moment to find them…"

"Maman, no!" Tamaki groaned.

"No, please get them, I'd love to see what Tamaki was like as a child" Haruhi interjected quickly. She had only ever seen what Tamaki looked like in pictures up until middle school, and she was interested to see what kind of child he had been.

"Haruhi, those are embarrassing!" Tamaki complained. "Maman, ne pas inclure de photos de moi nu s'il vous plait!"

["Mum, don't include any pictures of me naked please!"]

Anne-Sophie returned with a rather thick photo album and sat herself down next to Tamaki, with Haruhi on his left.

"This is my most prized possession, a documentation of my beautiful boy's life! Starting from the day he was born…" she opened up the album and revealed the first picture; a newborn baby swaddled in a blue blanket, held by his mother. Even though Anne-Sophie had given birth only a few hours before the photo was taken, Haruhi was surprised to see that the French woman still looked as stunning as she did today, albeit a bit younger.

"I look so small!" Tamaki exclaimed. Haruhi nodded. She wondered how Tamaki would act when their child was born, and what they would look like. Considering her own genes, their baby would probably be even smaller than Tamaki looked in the photograph.

"Not really, you were 6kg when you were born! Most babies are only 3.5!"

Haruhi gulped. Oh God, she _hoped_ their baby took after her…

Anne-Sophie turned the page and revealed another picture of a young Tamaki, who couldn't be more than a few months old sleeping on his back next to a puppy Hachibee. His blonde hair was obvious in this picture and he had a few more distinguishable features that allowed Haruhi to identify him.

"Look how precious he is!" Anne-Sophie gushed.

Haruhi couldn't help but agree. "You do look kind of cute there, Senpai."

"Kind of?" Tamaki sounded mortally offended. "Haruhi, that right there is the cutest baby there has ever been!" he declared arrogantly. Haruhi had a feeling he might change his mind about that in a few months.

As if reading her thoughts, Anne-Sophie said "Until you have your own children, of course."

Haruhi proceeded to choke on air while Tamaki laughed. "Well that goes without saying maman! Haruhi and I would make the most beautiful little angels!"

"No doubt about it" his mother agreed. Haruhi decided it was probably best to stay silent. She didn't trust herself to speak in that moment. "Oh look, it's you at the waterpark!"

As Anne-Sophie turned the next page, they were all subjected to a photo of a toddler Tamaki playing in a wave pool completely naked.

"Maman!" Tamaki whined "I said no naked photographs! Haruhi shouldn't be subjected to that!"

Tamaki sounded so very distraught that Haruhi couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease him.

"Why, it's nothing I haven't seen before" she realised just a second too late that it was probably an inappropriate thing to say around his mother. Haruhi and Tamaki turned bright red as Anne-Sophie surprisingly began to laugh and turned the next page.

Haruhi enjoyed flipping through the photo album with Anne-Sophie while Tamaki complained at the many embarrassing pictures of himself, though Haruhi could tell he was having a good time. At some point during the night, he weaved their hands together in a subtle show of affection and Anne-Sophie began gushing about how cute a couple they were before she left to make dinner.

"Oh, I can help you!" Haruhi offered.

"That would be wonderful, thank you Haruhi! It'll give us time to have a little girl talk!" Anne-Sophie added as Tamaki rose to join them. He got the hint and sat down.

Haruhi followed Anne-Sophie into the kitchen, shutting the sliding door behind her at Anne-Sophie's request. Tamaki's mother was such a genuine, nice person and Haruhi had immediately seen why her boyfriend cherished her so much… so why was she suddenly so nervous to be alone with her?

"So, what would you like help with?" Haruhi asked nervously.

"Oh, I'm fine in the kitchen dear. I just wanted to have a girl-to-girl chat, you know?"

Haruhi nodded, even though she had no idea what that meant.

"Of course… um, I don't think I've thanked you for your hospitality yet, so I'd like to let you know that I'm really grateful for you opening up your home so generously."

Anne-Sophie smiled warmly. "Oh, it's no trouble dear. I'm just glad to see my son, and he seems so enamoured with you that I just had to meet you and make sure you're good enough for him."

Haruhi frowned. "Oh… and, um, am I?"

Anne-Sophie laughed. "Of course, darling. Tamaki is enamoured with you that it hardly matters what I think anyway. It is just my protective nature coming out. Never underestimate motherly love – though I'm positive that you'll understand that feeling soon enough – speaking of which, does Tamaki know?"

Haruhi froze.

"Uh… Does Tamaki know what?" she asked nervously.

Anne-Sophie smiled gently at the girl. "About my grandchild, of course. Assuming it is Tamaki's"

"Of course it is!" Haruhi retorted, offended, before realising how she'd been tricked. "Oh... Oh, I'm so sorry!" instinctively, she bowed, willing herself not to cry. She'd been far too much of that recently.

"Oh honey, no, no" Tamaki's mother moved forward to capture Haruhi in a much needed hug. "I'm not mad at you or Tamaki, and I'm certainly not going to scold you. This baby is your penance, but a beautiful, beautiful one." Haruhi shook her head.

"How can something that will cause so much interference be a blessing?" she lamented sadly.

"Oh Haruhi. I know it feels like that now, but trust me, when you look at your baby for the first time, all those interferences will be worth it. Trust me, I know" Anne-Sophie hugged her tighter as she felt Haruhi shake with the effort of not letting the tears fall. "I know it's scary, even more so for you, being so young. But I promise everything will be okay and you and Tamaki will love that baby more than anything."

Haruhi sniffed "How did you know?"

"I could tell by the way you hold yourself. Instinctively, you're already protective of your belly, and you looked so… pensive when we were going through Tamaki's baby pictures. I could tell there was a maternal aura about you."

Haruhi let out a small strangled laugh. "The last thing I am is maternal. I'll be a terrible mother."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're such a loving and sensible woman and your baby will love you so much."

"I'll be seventeen when it's born. How can I be a parent and a student and a girlfriend… ugh" as her fears bubbled up to the surface, Haruhi finally gave in and allowed herself to cry.

Anne-Sophie began stroking the young girl's hair and whispering words of comfort in her ear. "I promise, everything will work itself out. You and Tamaki will find a way to go to school and care for the child, and you'll still be able to graduate top of the class!"

"Haruhi?"

The teenager jumped when she heard her boyfriend's voice and quickly shuffled away from Anne-Sophie. "T-Tamaki?"

Seeing his girlfriend's pretty brown eyes wide and filled with tears as her body practically shook, Tamaki immediately rushed to her side, putting his hands up to her cheeks and looking down at her intently. "Haruhi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Haruhi shook her head, refusing to say anything, which only worried Tamaki more.

"What were you talking about?" He asked his mother.

Anne-Sophie only offered him a sad smile and said "I think you should find some privacy so you two can talk alone."

Tamaki nodded and looked down at Haruhi. "Haruhi, come on, we're going to my room."

His girlfriend had clutched the front of his shirt and did not seem intent on letting go, or indeed moving at all. Sympathetic, Tamaki simply resolved to pick Haruhi up bridal style and carried her out the kitchen and through the hall to his childhood bedroom.

Haruhi's minor case of paralysis was relieved by the time Tamaki set her down on the dinosaur themed bed covers.

"S-Sorry about causing so much trouble Senpai."

Tamaki sighed. "I thought you were over the whole senpai thing" he said as he sat down beside her.

Haruhi shrugged and shyly turned her head into his shoulder. Tamaki shifted so that he was able to pull the doll-like girl into his lap. Haruhi didn't object.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked gently.

Haruhi made a small noise. She really didn't know what to do. On one hand she wasn't ready to start telling people as she was still processing the information herself, but on the other hand keeping the secret was eating her up inside, and it was Tamaki's problem too.

"Well… you see… Senpai I'm –"

At that moment, a loud bang could be heard from the kitchen, accompanied by incessant barking. Haruhi jumped and immediately lost her cool as the sounds reminded her of thunder.

"I'm just getting worked up… It's nothing really, I'm being stupid."

Tamaki shook his head. "It's not stupid. Please tell me" he begged.

"Uh… well, it's just homesickness I think… I miss my dad, and Mei and… I don't know. And now I'm just embarrassed about having broken down in front of your mother" she lied.

Unfortunately, this only resulted in Haruhi feeling more guilty as Tamaki looked delighted at finally having been told what was wrong.

"Oh, Haruhi that's not stupid, it's completely normal!" he assured her. "If you ever need to talk to me, remember that I'm always here for you" he planted a loving kiss on her forehead which Haruhi didn't quite feel like she deserved.

She gave him a fake smile and stood up.

"Well thank you, Senpai. I feel much better. Um, we should probably go out for dinner."

As she stood and left the room, Tamaki remained for a moment longer.

Contrary to popular belief, the blonde boy wasn't stupid. Tamaki liked to think that he knew Haruhi very well, and their relationship had certainly developed nicely over the past few months. That is, excluding the moments where Haruhi had been having her 'vulnerable moments' which he had been referring to her outbursts as.

His normally stoic girlfriend had been unusually emotional recently, and it had been worrying Tamaki for quite some time. He hated seeing her so clearly upset and kept trying to get the truth out of her, but every time she had a different excuse.

On top of that, she'd been physically sick as well, and it made him antsy as hell. Tamaki had grown up with an incredibly frail mother, and the thought of anything happening to Haruhi pained him.

All that being said, Tamaki knew that Haruhi had lied to him. There was no way she was just homesick. There was something serious going on with her and he wouldn't rest until he found out what it was. But for now, he supposed he'd try to enjoy Paris and discuss things with Haruhi when they got back to Boston.

Realising he'd probably spent too much time in the bedroom, Tamaki made his way to the dining room where Haruhi and Anne-Sophie were already talking about trivial matters. He sat himself down and joined the conversation, clasping his hand in Haruhi's throughout the meal.

* * *

 **I ended up really going over the word limit this time, so I hope you like it! We're well over 1000 views now (yay!) and I had a flood of new reviews since the last chapter, which is awesome! Thank you all so much, I'm glad everyone seems be enjoying the story!**

 **I'd like to keep my authors notes as short as possible so I don't bore you guys (I've definitely skipped authors notes in story's before because it was just too waffle-y) but I'd also like to respond to some of your reviews to show my gratitude. The review section should have a 'reply' function aha. This chapter is already way too long so I won't do one now, but at the end of the next chapter I'll reply to a bunch of reviews from various chapters and you can see how you like it. If you think this is a good or bad idea, let me know in the reviews along with your opinion on this chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

"… Then I took Haruhi and my mother out to Bordeaux to do some wine tasting and it was delicious, I forgot how good authentic French food and drinks taste! Unfortunately, I couldn't get Haruhi to try any though" Tamaki finished sadly.

Kyoya rolled his eyes unsympathetically. "You know how Haruhi is, she probably doesn't want to drink until she is of legal age."

"She's old enough for wine in France!"

"Even so, she is still most likely going to wait until she's of legal age in Japan. Even then, I doubt Haruhi would be a great drink lover." Kyoya leaned back in his seat, sensing he wasn't going to get any more homework done with Tamaki loitering around his apartment.

"No, I suppose you're right… she's not that kind of person." Tamaki mused.

"So did Haruhi enjoy your break? She got along with your mother, I presume?"

Tamaki nodded happily. "Yeah, they seemed to really like each other. In fact, they speak on the phone occasionally now. I think Haruhi enjoyed the trip, she said she liked France, but she was still acting oddly."

"Still?" Kyoya inquired.

"Yeah, she's been acting kind of out of character for a while, you know, being way more emotional than usual and staying home sick instead of going to school."

Kyoya frowned. Tamaki was right, that didn't sound like Haruhi at all. Especially the abstaining from school part – Haruhi was one of the most dedicated students he knew, and being on a scholarship meant that she was required to keep a certain grade, so staying home didn't make any sense.

"Sick? It must be serious if she's choosing not to go to school."

"Yeah, she's been out of it for a while and refuses to go to a doctor. She's really starting to worry me, she keeps vomiting at random points in the day with no provocation, and she gets tired and dizzy pretty often too."

Hearing about these symptoms had given Kyoya an idea of what could be wrong with Haruhi and he didn't like it one bit.

"How long has she been like that then?" he asked innocently, trying to keep his voice even.

"I think it started around Christmas time." Tamaki said worriedly. "Hey – Kyoya, your family deals with medicine a lot, right? Do you know what could be wrong?"

 _It's so obvious it's a wonder that even you, Tamaki, haven't figured it out yet._

Kyoya knew what had happened between Tamaki and Haruhi in Spain, having known the couple long enough to be able to accurately gage their actions and reactions. Therefore, he also knew that there was every likelihood that there was a bastard child on the way.

God Tamaki, what have you gotten yourself into?

Kyoya sighed. "Not a clue."

* * *

Kyoya resolved to let Tamaki ramble on for another hour before kicking him out of his apartment to conduct research regarding his conclusion about Haruhi's mysterious 'illness'.

It hadn't been to hard to obtain Mei Yasumura's phone number. All it had taken was a quick call to Haruhi's father, which was easier than expected. Kyoya had thought that the crossdresser would have at least a few questions as to why he was asking for his daughter's friends phone number, but Ranka was more than happy to lend a hand.

Now that that obstacle was out of the way, Kyoya was able to proceed with his plan. He knew that Haruhi would never confess to him straight up, and he supposed there was no use in a confrontation if it turned out he was wrong – though he doubted it. Kyoya told himself this was simply being thorough, as Ootori's did not get things wrong.

Being Haruhi's only female friend, Kyoya imagined that if anyone knew about the suspected pregnancy, then it would be Mei.

"Hello?" the answer from the other side of the line was groggy, though Kyoya had no idea why considering it was nearing 3 in the afternoon in Japan. Even he would be awake by then.

"Hello, is this Mei Yasumura?"

"Yeah. Who's this?" the headstrong girl replied rather rudely. Kyoya decided it was best not to critique her etiquette while trying to get information out of her and therefore didn't comment.

"This is Kyoya Ootori, a… friend of Haruhi Fujioka's from Ouran Academy. We've met a handful of times."

"Oh yeah, you were the one Tamaki senpai kept calling 'mummy'. Weird." Kyoya felt a vein pop "Anyway, what are you calling me for?"

"Have you been in contact with Haruhi recently?"

A pause.

"Yeah, she's my friend, why?"

She was sounding defensive, and Kyoya was sure that was a positive sign – well, positive depending on how you looked at it. Kyoya had a feeling his hunch was right.

Following his instinct, Kyoya went straight in for the kill – in a tactful way of course. "Do you know?' he asked sneakily.

There was another pause on the other end of the line as Mei deliberated over what to say.

"Uh… I think so. If you're talking about what I think you're talking about…"

"Tamaki doesn't know yet. I figured it out on my own and then confronted her. She said you were the only one who knew." Kyoya explained, or rather explained what he had guessed.

"Oh… that makes more sense. Yeah, I was the one who made her buy the test in the first place."

"That was smart of you." Kyoya complimented.

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. That girl is so stubborn. But I do think she was just afraid of the possibility that she could be pregnant."

Kyoya smirked, pleased that he had finally obtained the information he needed.

"Ah, so she is pregnant. Thank you, Mei."

"A-ah! What!?" before the girl could continue screeching into the phone, Kyoya hung up. He had no time to deal with hysterical teenage girls – well, not this second. He had a feeling that he would have to quite often in the coming months.

Damnit, Tamaki.

* * *

At Tamaki's insistence, streamers of all colours had been hung around the apartment and Haruhi could only think of the cleaning she was going to have to do later. Even so, she was grateful to her boyfriend's well-meaning antics.

It was the 4th of February, marking Haruhi's 17th birthday and her first one away from home. While Haruhi wasn't particularly mournful of this fact, Tamaki was adamant on cheering her up with a party.

"Are you sure you can handle this Tamaki?" she asked as the blonde took over another one of her chores. Apparently since it was her birthday, Haruhi wasn't allowed to do anything that wasn't considered 'having fun' or 'relaxing'.

"Of course! The others will be here soon."

Just as he spoke, the doorbell rang and the Hitachiin twins barged through the door.

"Happy birthday, Haruhi!" they chorused, shoving identically wrapped presents into her arms.

"Ah, thanks guys" she said, placing the gifts down on the coffee table. She didn't need to open them to know they were ridiculously priced Hitachiin label clothing.

The next to arrive were Mori and Honey, the latter running up to Haruhi and hugging her excitedly as Mori set down their presents alongside the twins.

"Hi, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai! How are you?"

"Good! University is really fun!"

"Ah" Mori agreed.

Haruhi smiled and led them through to the living room where the twins were waiting, but hurried back with Tamaki when she heard another knock at the door.

Tamaki beat her to it as he bounded over to open up the door excitedly. "Ah, Kyoya, you're finally here! How have –"

"Haruhi, can I speak to you for a moment?" Kyoya asked quickly, cutting across Tamaki. The brunette looked confused but agreed, following him down the hall. Kyoya thought it was best that they had at least some privacy as he was sure that Tamaki and the rest of the host club members didn't know.

"What was it you wanted to talk about, Kyoya-Senpai?" Haruhi asked as they reached the end of the hall.

"Haruhi I need to ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly." He told her sternly.

Haruhi looked confused, but he noted that she had started to fiddle with the hem of her shirt.

"Alright."

Adjusting his glasses slightly so as to appear normal, he casually asked her the question, so casually that Haruhi wasn't entirely sure she'd heard right. He couldn't know…

Kyoya repeated the question calmly.

Haruhi blanched when she heard the same string of words together for the second time.

Really she should have seen this coming. Kyoya-Senpai knew everything and his family worked in the medical field. Of course he would be the first to figure it out.

Haruhi slumped against the hallway wall and defiantly said "maybe."

"Haruhi…" Kyoya sighed.

Alright, so maybe she was sulking a little. "Okay, fine. I am pregnant. Happy?"

"Content."

The girl glared at him. "Makes one of us" she muttered under her breath.

Kyoya sighed. Of course she would be difficult about this. What a curious commoner she was.

"Tamaki knows?"

"No."

"Is he the father?" Kyoya decided to try a different angle to get her to talk, and it certainly worked.

"Of course!" she snapped, offended.

"I assumed as much. Why haven't you told him? By my calculations you must be at least eleven weeks along and that's plenty of time for you to find out about it."

"By your calcula – actually, I don't want to know." Haruhi groaned when Kyoya simply raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a lot of information to absorb" she defended "I can barely deal with it myself, let alone drag Tamaki into the mess too."

"Technically he put you in this mess" Kyoya pointed out.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, not in the mood for his logic.

"You need to tell him, Haruhi."

"That will only complicate things further" Haruhi snapped.

"The only thing complicating matters is you, Haruhi Fujioka. You need to tell Tamaki before its too late. You need to see a doctor and make sure you're both healthy. Tamaki needs to know that he's going to be a father, and you need to take responsibility for the child your carrying rather than pretending it's not happening-"

 _Slap._

Haruhi was sick of listening to him treat her like a child. How dare he imply that she would let her baby be harmed?

"It's not that simple Kyoya-Senpai!" Haruhi whisper-shouted. She was pissed, but didn't want the others to overhear them. "A baby would ruin everything! I could lose my scholarship, my whole future, and Tamaki could lose his chance at becoming the Suoh's heir! I refuse to put that kind of burden on him."

"Oh, and how do you intend on preventing all that? If you intend on having an abortion, then you better do it quick or you'll miss the legal cut off time."

Haruhi was silent. Kyoya knew she couldn't do that, and already would have if she intended to.

"Even if you put the child up for adoption, you'll still be pregnant and face the same issues."

Haruhi frowned. No, she didn't want to do that. Deep down she was still afraid but also wanted to keep her baby. She couldn't imagine carrying this baby and then giving it away immediately after giving birth.

Kyoya sighed. "Look, you don't have to worry about your scholarship. You're smart enough to complete the course before the child is born, and besides that, the schools chairman is its grandfather. Yuzuru Suoh would do nothing to disrupt for two reasons: for starters, he loves his family and would not do anything to hurt Tamaki – well anymore than he already has." They both flinched at that.

"Secondly, if he were to expel you from Ouran, there would certainly be questions, and if the media discovered another illegitimate child in the family, but one that they had kicked out, there would be an uproar and the family's reputation would be ruined."

Haruhi shrugged. "Their reputation would be tainted either way, because the baby will still be illegitimate. I'm _not_ having a shotgun wedding" she added harshly before Kyoya could respond.

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Of course you won't, you're difficult like that" he said acidly. "Look, its not as big a deal as you'd think. Yes, the child will be illegitimate, but they would be worse off disowning Tamaki or expelling you, because they'd be rejecting your child while they accepted Tamaki. The media would see that as prejudice towards commoners and no one would trust the Suoh's word again."

Haruhi considered this. Really, it made sense. Tamaki would be seen as an untrustworthy, irresponsible teenager and his father would be deemed unfair.

"I suppose you're right."

"Great. Now that we've sorted that out, you need to tell Tamaki and see a doctor. Which would you prefer to do first?"

Haruhi glared at him.

* * *

Several days later found Haruhi waiting nervously in the hospital waiting room.

"Thanks for coming with me" she told the man besides her softly.

"It's no trouble" Kyoya replied in a voice that suggested yes, it was a tremendous amount of trouble.

After their little conversation at the party, Kyoya had stayed around for lunch with the others and then secretly gifted her with his own present when he left – several factual books on the subject on pregnancy and babies, which Haruhi had immediately had to hide – and told her that he would book an appointment at an Ootori medical facility in the state (luckily they had recently expanded their business overseas) for her and would drag her out himself if she didn't come.

So here she was, awkwardly sitting with the man who was obviously not her boyfriend in a waiting room full of expectant women in their late twenties and thirties judging her.

Honestly Haruhi was so uncomfortable, she felt like leaving.

"Uh, Kyoya –"

"Haruhi Fujioka" a doctor called, emerging from his office.

Feeling quite small, Haruhi stood up and looked back to Kyoya.

"Are you not coming with me?"

"No. I only came to make sure you'd actually go in. I'll wait here."

Haruhi nodded and followed the doctor into his office.

Back in the waiting room, Kyoya was suddenly regretting his decision as he was shot dirty looks by every other patient in the room.

"Ms Fujioka, my name is Doctor Jenson. How can I help you?" the doctor asked, gesturing for Haruhi to take a seat.

"Um…" she did a quick scan of the room and noticed the multiple posters and pictures of pregnant women and foetus development. It was pretty confronting, and she found herself wondering about her own child. "I took a pregnancy test a few weeks ago and it came back positive… I thought I ought to come for a check-up."

Dr Jenson nodded. "Very well. When did you take the test?"

"Um, sometime around early January."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're only coming in now? Have you seen anyone else in the meantime? Had any medical advice?"

They were in February.

Feeling quite like a child being scolded, Haruhi simply slid back in her chair guiltily. "Er no, no I haven't."

Dr Jenson sighed. "Alright, well the first thing we need to do is confirm that you actually are pregnant and how far along."

He stood up and walked across the room to withdraw the necessary supplies. "I'll have to give you a quick blood test and I'll send it to the lab to be analysed."

Wincing, Haruhi consented to the blood test and Dr Jenson called over a nurse to take the sample down to the lab (of course an Ootori facility would have its own advanced laboratory)

"We shouldn't have to wait too long. In the meantime, what symptoms have you been experiencing?"

"Um, mostly nausea. I've been throwing up a lot, and at times I've been so sick that sometimes I've had to miss school… and I've also been pretty tired… oh and my er, my breasts got bigger" she said the last part quietly, embarrassed as she remembered that little detail.

Dr Jenson nodded. "Yes, it certainly sounds like you're pregnant. How far along do you think you are? When was your last menstrual period?"

Haruhi bit her lip. "Um, my last period was during the second week of November, I think. I'm pretty sure I conceived the week after."

Dr Jenson nodded. "Yes, that's highly likely as that week would be a fertile window in your cycle. Well, based on the date of your last period, that would put you at eleven weeks along." He moved to type something into his computer before sitting back and waiting for a moment. "Yes, I was correct. You'll reach the 3 month mark next week, and your estimate due date is the 20th of August."

Haruhi nodded numbly. _The 20_ _th_ _of August_ … this was all so real…

Dr Jenson looked back at the screen and smiled.

"Yes, I got the results back. You're definitely pregnant."

Haruhi swallowed thickly and nodded.

"We should set up another appointment for a months time to check on your progress. She'll give you some information sheets on how to stay healthy. Remember, no drinking, no hot tubs, no sushi." He winked, speaking to her while leading her out.

Haruhi obliged and went to the front desk to book her appointment and get her leaflets. This all felt so wrong. So unbelievably real.

"Haruhi?"

She ignored Kyoya as she walked through the waiting room.

"Let's go" she said shakily, then refused to say anything else for the rest of the ride home.

* * *

 **Omg, we passed into 2000 views in this past week! Ahhhh this is so exciting! I've never been so passionate and on schedule with a fanfiction (which you can see if you look at my old works lol) and I'm glad to see that its paying off! Super excited about the reviews as well you guys, thanks so much! I also have a question for you lovely readers – when would you prefer I upload? I live in Australia and have been uploading on Friday nights (so morning/afternoon if you live in the Northern hemisphere) but would you prefer Saturday mornings/nights instead? That way if you live in the North you'll get fanfics on Friday nights/Saturday mornings. Or is this schedule okay? I just notice that I get more views the day after currently but idk if that's because people are rereading or not aha. So yeah, please review and give me your thoughts! (remember that constructive criticism in 100% okay and encouraged! If I fucked something up tell me!)**

 **~ Review Responses ~**

 **Wealhtheow1 (chapter 5) – I'm glad you're like this! I haven't written much for Tamaki in a while, but he's my favourite character so he's definitely going to get more attention in future chapters!**

 **Lemon Fanfabric – thanks for all your awesome reviews! I'm so grateful for them, always so encouraging. I hope I continue to live up to your expectations. I loved all your title suggestions, still need some time to decide though aha.**

 **Mamabug (chapter 7) – I'm glad you think this is well-written, but yeah I began this fanfic because all the other pregnancy fanfics were all short or eh. You won't have to wait long for the reactions, and yes, Tamaki is definitely gonna get shit from his friends :)**

 **MommaDiamond (chapter 7,8) – yup, won't have to wait long for all their reactions! Haha I'm sorry for dragging it out, but I'm a master procrastinator and reckon Haruhi would do the same if she was scared. Just trying to be realistic :p**

 **krys20017 (chapter 8) – I do the exact same thing, but I'm glad you find this worth waiting for! Thank you so much and I hope you continue to read and love the story :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks after her doctor's appointment with Kyoya, Haruhi realised that she was already a little over three months pregnant and had broken her promise with herself to tell Tamaki about the baby after she reached the three-month mark.

She knew it had to be done, but Haruhi was terrified to tell him.

The problem wasn't that she was afraid of losing him, she was more afraid that he would throw away everything for her and the baby. She didn't want him to give up his whole future for her, not when it involved potentially giving up everything he'd worked so hard for. Even if what Kyoya said was true, Haruhi knew there would still be countless obstacles for them to overcome.

Raising a child was expensive, and extremely time consuming. Haruhi's dream of becoming a lawyer would have to be put on hold, and if Tamaki's father refused to support them financially, there was no way Ranka could account for a growing child and a teenage daughter with one job.

Oh god, Ranka. She would have to tell her father as well.

Haruhi felt like crying again. Ranka would be so disappointed in her. He'd always been so proud of having such a smart and independent daughter, but now all those points of pride were for null.

Taking a shaky breath in, Haruhi closed her eyes. Tamaki deserved to know they were going to have a baby. She would have to tell him, though she had no idea how.

Thankfully she had some help with that.

Haruhi picked up her phone from the side table and quickly dialled Tamaki's mothers number. Since the trip to France, Haruhi had gotten really close to Anne-Sophie who had been extremely supportive of her and her decision to keep her and Tamaki's love child.

"Haruhi? How are you?" Anne-Sophie responded almost instantly. She had become incredibly protective over the woman carrying her grandchild, and was always quick to pick up the phone, god forbid it be an emergency.

"Uh, yeah I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm well." Anne-Sophie said smartly.

"Great. Look, I… I just hit the three-month mark and I told myself when I got to that point I would tell Tamaki, only I'm not… not too sure how to."

"That's wonderful!" Anne-Sophie exclaimed. "Oh Haruhi, I'm so proud of you!"

Haruhi smiled and imagined that the blonde woman would likely be hugging her if she could.

"So do you have any ideas on how I should tell him?"

There was a pause as Anne-Sophie took the time to think.

"I'm not sure. It would probably be beneficial to just come out and say it. You've waited long enough, and I doubt it would make any difference by doing anything elaborate – although I'm sure Tamaki would love that next time." Haruhi blushed. She was having a hard enough time dealing with this pregnancy, let alone conceiving the possibility of another child in the future.

"I suppose so" Haruhi agreed. She'd done enough avoiding and dodging, and Tamaki deserved the truth. At this point he probably wouldn't appreciate any grand reveal.

Haruhi sighed. She knew Tamaki would need just as much adjustment time as she had, perhaps more to catch up on the time he'd been ignorant for. This would be a major shock for the teenager.

Haruhi had no doubt that Tamaki would be a good dad, it was more the question of if he was ready. Haruhi had seen him interact with children a number of times, with Kirimi Nekozawa and Shiro Takaoji and had been very caring towards the two of them, so she knew he liked kids and wanted them someday.

However Tamaki's 'someday' likely did not mean August.

It had been earlier that month, on Valentines Day when she and Tamaki had been watching cheesy romantic comedies (at his request), and in the final scene of the movie the happy couple had been shown cuddling their children in a flashforward. Tamaki had pulled Haruhi in tight and kissed her temple while telling her that would be them one day.

While reassured by the knowledge Tamaki wanted children with her, Haruhi knew he was probably imagining their family starting in a different way.

Nevertheless, Haruhi had snuggled up to her boyfriend and quietly told him he'd be a brilliant father. It had certainly cheered the blonde up and he'd returned the sentiment happily before going off on a tangent about their future family which made Haruhi a little sick, knowing it would all happen far sooner than he thought.

Haruhi bit her lip. He deserved to know.

"Thank you, Anne-Sophie. I'll tell him as soon as possible."

* * *

"T-Tamaki? Can I speak to you?"

It was only a few hours later, after Tamaki had gotten home from his afternoon class (again Haruhi had chosen to stay home from schools after spending the majority of the night and early morning sick) and Haruhi had let herself into his apartment.

"Oh, Haruhi, hello!"

Haruhi stopped in confusion as she saw that there were other people in the apartment.

"Oh… um hi" she said to the strangers.

There were three people Haruhi had never seen before lounging around in the kitchen, two men who looked around Tamaki or even Mori's and Honey's age based on their height, and surprisingly irritatingly, a short blonde-haired girl wearing girly clothes with visible cleavage. For some reason this angered Haruhi.

"Hi!" the blonde replied chirpily, smiling widely.

"Haruhi, this is Brittney, Luke and Jason. Guys, this is Haruhi."

 _Why didn't he introduce me as his girlfriend_ , her brain went, intrusively.

"Hey" the other guys replied non-committedly.

"Nice to meet you" Haruhi said as politely as possible, being unreasonably irritated for some reason… it seemed as though the pregnancy hormones were kicking in…

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tamaki asked casually. Haruhi frowned, knowing there was no way they could have this discussion with other people around. Even if she asked to speak privately in another room, it would be a long talk and not appropriate to have while other people, strangers no less, were in the apartment.

"Oh um, its not important" she said coldly. "What are you guys doing?"

Before Tamaki could answer, the blonde girl interrupted. "We're doing a group project for school. Us seniors have to complete a major project across the school year and we just got the assignment today."

"Tamaki offered for us to study at his place since there's less distractions" the first guy, Luke said.

"Yeah, no parents! How awesome! You could have some awesome parties in here, man!" Jason added eagerly, scanning the apartment.

Tamaki chuckled, a little uncomfortably.

Haruhi shook her head. "No parties" she told her boyfriend firmly. She came here to study, Tamaki being with her was a bonus, but if he became a distraction, he'd ruin the whole experience… _well, not that he hasn't already with his sperm,_ Haruhi thought miserably.

"Jeez, what a buzzkill. Who even is this chick?" Haruhi blushed at the rude comment but brushed it off as a mere culture difference. From what she had seen, westerners acted far more casual with each other than the Japanese did. Also, she noted that he had recognised her as a girl. She was surprised given that her hair hadn't grown out much, but… Haruhi only blushed even more furiously as she realised what it was that had tipped him off about her femininity. _Damn pregnancy symptoms_.

"Don't talk to her like that" Tamaki snapped, good naturedly enough not to anger the other boy who simply shrugged.

"Sorry" he said. Haruhi simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"It was a stupid idea Jason" the pretty blonde said. "Tamaki is such a sweetheart, he'd never do anything like that!" she gushed.

Haruhi found herself even more irritated by this girl. She was usually terrible at reading other peoples emotions, but it was obvious even to her that Brittney was shamelessly flirting with _her_ boyfriend.

"Tamaki, can I speak to you for a moment?" Haruhi requested, a slight edge to her tone. Tamaki agreed and led her towards the kitchen for privacy. "Why are these people in your apartment again?"

"I told you, we're doing a group project together. We wanted to get a head start so I suggested my place."

"What about that girl?"

"Brittney?" Tamaki looked back at the other students to see Brittney look up and grin at him at the same time. "What about her?"

Haruhi groaned. "Tamaki you really are dense. She's flirting with you! Even _I_ noticed!"

Tamaki frowned. "What? No, Brittney's just nice. You're wrong."

At this point, Haruhi was practically seething. The pregnancy hormones were acting up and Tamaki wasn't helping by acting like he didn't care about her at all.

"Oh, I'm wrong am I? Fine then, enjoy your little project!" Haruhi spat before turning and walking back to her apartment through the 'love door'.

* * *

"Kyoyaaa! I need your heeelp!"

Kyoya had no idea why he had let the blonde idiot into his apartment again, but here they were. Perhaps he had started to take pity on the young man who had the idea of the bombshell that was about to go off on his life in the form of a baby.

"What is it?" the black-haired boy snapped. He knew Haruhi hadn't told him about the pregnancy yet. If she had, Tamaki would be acting far more seriously than this, and probably wouldn't have come to Kyoya at all. When Tamaki was truly bereaved he preferred to be alone. It was a testament to their how close their friendship really was that they knew this.

"So yesterday I had some friends from school at my apartment and when Haruhi came over she got really angry at me and I don't understand why!"

Kyoya sighed. That idiot girl. She couldn't be acting on her hormones before she even told Tamaki, he'd just think she was crazy.

"I'm sure there's more to the story than that. What exactly did she say to you?"

"Haruhi doesn't like Brittney. She said she was flirting with me and basically called me a fool. So I told her she was wrong about Brittney and she got mad and left."

Kyoya felt like smashing his head on the desk. Tamaki truly was the biggest idiot he'd ever encountered.

Brittney Tucker was the truest stereotype Kyoya had ever met. While doing background checks on all of his new classmates, he had found out that Brittney was born and raised in Boston, was a child of divorce with her rich and absent father living in New York and her mother in Boston with her. An only child, the girl was as spoilt as they came and used to getting what she wanted. According to his research, this really did mean anything. It was clear around the school that Brittney Tucker had a reputation for being a bit of a player, rarely being without a boyfriend or some kind of man candy.

"Tamaki, Haruhi was jealous" Kyoya explained "Brittney is pretty and popular girl who probably _was_ flirting with you in your own apartment. If anything, you owe her an apology."

Tamaki frowned. "I didn't do anything wrong!" he protested.

"Tamaki, you're being a child. Despite acting indifferent to most physical attributes to the point where she disregards all gender conformities, she is still an insecure teenage girl" Kyoya said, a little condescendingly. "She probably saw her boyfriend spending time with an attractive girl and got worried."

Tamaki's face fell.

"Haruhi felt… threatened? There's no reason for her to feel that way! No one could ever replace her, I love _her_ -" the blonde boy realised a second too late what he had said, his face quickly turning beetroot.

Kyoya smirked. "I think you should be telling _her_ that, not me."

Tamaki nodded slowly, a little embarrassed. "Yeah… you're right. Um, I should go apologise to her now, huh?"

"Yes, go!" Kyoya half groaned, just wanting him out of the house.

* * *

"Haruhiiii!"

The girl in question groaned as she heard her name being called. Of course Tamaki had to come _now_.

Haruhi had just been about ready to leave for her doctors appointment when the incessant banging at the door started, and now she'd never be able to get away from Tamaki without him nagging her about where she was going.

Just as she was considering sneaking out of the window, Tamaki called out again, saying "I know you're in there! Come on, I know you're mad at me, but please just let me in!" he sounded so pathetic right then that Haruhi was guilted into opening the door. Groaning and angry at herself, Haruhi strode across the room to open the front door.

"Tamaki" she greeted tonelessly.

The teenager stood in the doorway awkwardly thrusting forward a bouquet of white roses. "These are for you."

Haruhi tilted her head slightly, confused. "Er, thank you" she said, taking them. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to apologise. I never meant to make you uncomfortable. If you don't like me having Brittney and the others alone in my apartment, then we'll find somewhere else to study."

Haruhi blinked for a second before throwing her arms around her boyfriend in an unusual display of affection.

"Thank you, Tamaki. Don't worry about finding someplace else to study, I overreacted" she said, nuzzling into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her back.

"No, it's okay" he said, stroking her hair as he held her. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" he suggested kindly.

Haruhi went to say yes, she'd love to, but quickly remembered her appointment.

"Sorry, I can't" she said regretfully. "I um, I have an appointment to go to. But you're welcome to stay here and find something for us to do later. I won't be long" she leant up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek before passing him through the door.

"Okay, I'll get some stuff organised for you when you get back" Tamaki replied happily.

Haruhi shot him a grateful smile before going on her way.

Tamaki scanned the apartment and decided that he would do some cleaning for her. While the place wasn't dirty, it was looking a little messy, as Haruhi had become a little neglectful of the small things throughout her sickness.

Tamaki supposed that since he still felt guilty, doing a little reorganising would help him redeem himself a little.

He started by moving towards the dining room and putting away the salt and pepper shakers in the pantry and moving some of the kitchenware around so that they were in the way of anything.

Moving some of the things around revealed a cluster of dust, so Tamaki set out to find his girlfriends cleaning supplies. He headed towards the bathroom, figuring that they would most likely be there. He searched through a couple of drawers, finding nothing but toiletries, until he checked in the small medicine cabinet where he found a mess of rags and cleaning supplies on top of some kind of surface.

Digging out the things he needed, Tamaki also grabbed the strangely hidden objects out of curiosity.

Setting down the cleaning supplies, he raised what he now recognised were books to eye level, choking when he saw the titles.

 _Why_ was his girlfriend hiding maternity books?

Tamaki wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but he wasn't stupid enough to not interpret these signs.

Oh god…

* * *

 **I don't celebrate Easter but I have the day off anyways, so I'll celebrate by posting a few hours early! I really wanted to do an April Fools chapter on Sunday but I realised that I left this on a cliffhanger so I couldn't do that.**

 **I now know the pain of having to wait so long for something, the second season of Miraculous Ladybug is coming out tomorrow but only on US Netflix so my Aussie arse is begging people online for their Netflix passwords for the day. I'm not expecting anything but if someone is willing to give me access to their Netflix for the weekend I'll give you an early chapter. Fair deal? Lol**

 **Just a note on the OC's – I usually HATE OC's, not that there's anything wrong with OC fanfiction, its just not my cup of tea. I read fanfiction to read about the characters. However, I don't see anything wrong with background OC's, but a huge pet peeve of mine is when authors give the anime characters western names. But since this is set in America, I thought it was okay to give them western names and yeah, a stereotypical look, sorry!**

 **Obviously, being set in Haruhi's POV things are a little exaggerated as she sees Brittney as a threat and overeacts, hence the 'Tamaki doesn't care about me at all' bit. Let me know if you think she's out of character, I'm trying to balance her personality with stress and pregnancy hormones so just consider that whenever she acts a little crazy!**

 **As usual, I hope you liked it and please review (and maybe give me your Netflix password** **)**

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **MommaDiamond (chapter 9) – ahhh I'm so glad! I worry a lot about keeping them in character, especially since they're going through such a life changing event, and I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to blame on pregnancy hormones lol.**

 **Mamabug (chapter 9) – love the speculation but unfortunately, I can't really say anything, you'll just have to wait! I hope Kyoya's reaction was realistic, I always figured that his medical knowledge would lead him to figure it out first.**

 **Lemon Fanfabric (chapter 6) – glad you're enjoying!**

 **krys2007 (chapter 9) – I wish I could update every day too, but unfortunately I couldn't keep up with all the writing aha. And me too, Ranka finding out was actually one of the first things I wrote for this story and I can't wait for you all to read it! I promise it'll be worth it!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yes, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for ;)**

* * *

All things considered, Haruhi thought the appointment had gone rather well. It had taken a little longer than she anticipated, only being a short check-up, and Dr Jenson had prescribed her with some pre-natal vitamins and given her some other health advice. She had hoped there wouldn't be another one for a while, but she'd had to book her first ultrasound for the next week as it marked her fourth month. Despite everything else, Haruhi was a little excited to actually see the baby at the next session.

Humming contently, Haruhi unlocked the front door to her apartment and was surprised to see Antoinette bound up to her.

"Oh, hello Antoinette" she said, crouching down to pet the dog "what are you doing here, hmm? Did Tamaki leave the love door open again?"

"Haruhi?" hearing Tamaki's voice, Haruhi looked up to see the horrifying sight of Tamaki holding the books Kyoya had gotten her for her birthday.

"Tamaki?" she said, horror-stricken.

"Haruhi, what are these?" Tamaki asked sadly.

Haruhi was speechless for a few moments. Her worst nightmare had come true without her even realising it. Oh god, why didn't she tell him before? She'd left this way too late and now he knew anyway.

"I… where did you find those?"

Tamaki's eyes narrowed. "In the bathroom. Don't avoid the question."

"Why were you rummaging through my things?" Haruhi asked hotly, hoping to distract from the issue. She wasn't ready for this conversation.

"I was looking for something to clean up with! Stop ignoring me Haruhi! Why do you… what is this?" Tamaki said, his voice sounding rather small. "Stop lying to me."

Haruhi felt her heart break in that moment as she saw the blonde boy looking so upset. His eyes were piercing and angry, but there was a flash of hurt across his face, creating a truly pitiful scene. All Haruhi wanted to do was start apologising.

"I… Tamaki, sit down." Haruhi turned to shut and lock the door properly, before leading Tamaki to the couch in her living room, Antoinette trotting after her. Tamaki obliged, setting down the books besides them.

He turned to Haruhi expectantly. "Are you going to explain what's going on?"

Haruhi nodded silently, a lump growing in her throat.

"I'd say it's pretty obvious… Tamaki I'm so sorry" she told him sincerely "I… I should have told you a long time ago, but I was afraid. So… I'm pregnant."

It took a while for those words to register, leaving a deafening silence in their wake.

Tamaki swallowed.

"How long?"

"The doctor said I'm thirteen weeks along…"

"How long have you known?"

Haruhi shuffled uncomfortably. "Officially? I took a test a little after New Years…"

Tamaki was silent as moved to put his head in his hands, suddenly looking much older than he was. "You've known for over a month and didn't tell me…"

Haruhi held back a sob. I've ruined everything…

"I was frightened and didn't want to burden you… I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she repeated as if he hadn't heard her the first time.

"Does anyone else know? Or have you been keeping it a secret?"

"Um, I told Mei and Kyoya found out not so long ago."

Tamaki stood up suddenly. "I have to go."

Haruhi looked up at him, confused.

"Tama-" before she could finish calling his name, the love door had slammed shut and he was gone.

Finally Haruhi allowed herself to cry with the knowledge that she'd just thrown a live grenade into their relationship.

* * *

Tamaki was in a state of shock.

He really had no idea what he was supposed to be feeling right then.

Tamaki had always loved children and figured he'd have his own one day, but he assumed one day would be far, far in the future. Now he had less than six months to wrap his head around the idea of being a father.

He couldn't believe that his girlfriend was actually carrying his baby, which would be born soon and become a child that he'd be responsible for, that he'd have to hold and feed and love…

There were so many conflicting emotions going around Tamaki's mind.

One half of him was cooing over how cute his and Haruhi's baby would be, and the other was freaking out about the whole thing entirely.

How was he going to support them – the Suoh's had plenty of money, yes, but his grandmother would most likely kill him before he could gain access to any of it.

Oh no, their parents.

Ranka was literally going to kill him.

Flashbacks of Ranka running after him in the airport when they left for Boston ran through his mind. _"I will kill you if you try to lay even one finger on my daughter!"_

Not only had he disobeyed Ranka, he had gotten her pregnant and jeopardised her entire future.

 _Shit_.

Not only was he panicking, but also felt awful about having left Haruhi like that. Of course he was angry at her for keeping it a secret, and having two other people finding out about his baby before him, but she was obviously under so much stress and all he wanted to do now was be there for her and keep her safe. This stress couldn't be good for the baby as well, and as scary as the prospect of becoming a father was, he still wanted the child to be healthy.

Tamaki rolled onto his stomach in the middle of the bed, hoping that when he woke up this would all be a bad dream.

* * *

When Tamaki woke up in the morning, he was ready to confront Haruhi again. After running out like that, she deserved an explanation. Grabbing his spare key, Tamaki let himself into his girlfriend's apartment.

The living room and kitchen were empty, so he assumed that Haruhi was still in bed. Tamaki quietly crept into the bedroom and moved towards the bed where he saw her lying doll-like in the bed.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki whispered, bending over his girlfriends sleeping form. She should look peaceful while sleeping, but she had a troubled look on her face with her eyebrows knitted together, and her eyes were rimmed red as if she'd been crying. Tamaki instantly felt terribly guilty. "Haruhi?" he repeated, shaking her shoulder a little.

Haruhi groaned a little before her eyes fluttered open.

"T-Tamaki?"

"Morning Haruhi" he smiled sheepishly, a little nervous about how she would react.

"Tamaki!" the teenage girl threw her arms around Tamaki, burying her head into his chest. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, I should have told you ages ago…"

Tamaki held his girlfriend tighter as she trembled in his arms.

"No, no, I'm sorry Haruhi. I never should have left you, I was just in shock. I'm so sorry. I promise I'll be there for you, no matter what. I love you so much."

Haruhi stiffened in his arms, her sobs stifled.

"You… what?"

Tamaki suddenly realised what he'd just said and flushed red.

"Senpai?" Haruhi said in that adorable small and unsure voice. Tamaki visibly flinched.

"Don't call me that, Haruhi. I love you" he repeated nervously.

Haruhi simply looked confused. "You… why? I don't understand."

Tamaki's face fell. _Oh… she clearly doesn't feel the same._

"What do you mean? I- you're the most wonderful girl I've ever met. You're beautiful without even trying, you don't care what anyone thinks about you, you put me in my place and somehow you managed to work your way into my heart. I think I've known that I loved you for a while but was too afraid to say anything."

Haruhi's face broke into a smile. "Yeah, I understand. Well, for what it's worth I love you too, Tamaki."

Tamaki's face brightened up again, ecstatic at the news. He pulled her in for a hug again, tilting up her head to catch her lips in a passionate kiss. A little awkwardly, Haruhi returned the kiss, but pulled apart quickly, a tad uncomfortable.

"I still don't understand" she said breathlessly.

"What's there to understand?"

Haruhi tilted her head. "Tamaki, I'm pregnant" she deadpanned "we're going to have a baby in…" she sighed. "We're going to have a real, living, breathing baby in six months… our own… our own child…"

Tamaki would be lying if he said that didn't make him feel a little sick. In six months he would be responsible for a child… a child that he and Haruhi created.

"Haruhi… I won't lie, I'm terrified." Haruhi lowered her eyes. "But I promise, we'll work something out. I love you, and I'll love any child of ours. I know we're young, and I'm so sorry for doing this to you… but I promise that I'll do everything I can do make sure that you and the baby will have the best life possible."

Looking up at him with wide eyes, Haruhi got on her knees and kissed him shortly.

"Thank you" she mumbled between kisses, incredibly grateful to have such a reliable and supportive boyfriend.

Tamaki chuckled and hugged her closer, trying to push down the feelings of fear to appear strong for his scared, pregnant, seventeen-year-old girlfriend.

 _She deserves so much better_ , he lamented sadly.

* * *

A couple of weeks had passed since Tamaki had assured Haruhi that he would support her throughout her pregnancy, and now it felt realer than ever.

Even more so now that it _looked_ real too.

Haruhi turned to the side with a hand placed over her stomach as she looked in the mirror.

As soon as she hit her second trimester, a small bump had become visible around Haruhi's midriff. It was barely noticeable unless you were looking for it, but it still made Haruhi nervous at the thought of someone seeing it.

Now that she was showing, Haruhi knew it was only a matter of time until she would have to face reality and start telling more people, like the rest of the club and her and Tamaki's parents…

Her dad was going to be so disappointed…

"Haruhi?"

Since he found out she was pregnant, Tamaki had started to spend a lot more time in his girlfriend's apartment. Haruhi figured it was a mixture of trying to make up for not being around before and overprotectiveness. Either way, she didn't mind.

Tamaki had emerged from the bathroom, his hair still wet and dampening his t-shirt. "What are you doing?"

Haruhi blushed at being caught staring at herself in just underwear. It must have looked odd.

"I um… I think I finally have a bump" she said shyly.

Tamaki walked up behind her, placing each hand at either side of her waist.

"Really? I can't see it."

Haruhi shifted so that she was side-on to the mirror.

Tamaki took in a sharp breath as he noticed the slight protrusion from his girlfriend's waist.

"Wow… that's… wow…" he rested his head on top of Haruhi's. "Our baby is really in there…" he still sounded like he was in a state of shock, not that Haruhi could say she wasn't.

"Yeah…" she said in awe.

"So, um, I have another doctor's appointment this week. I'm going to have my first ultrasound. Do you want to come with me?"

Tamaki nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to miss more than I already have" he said with a small kiss to the side of her head. "Are you going to get dressed or not? I much prefer you like this" he added slyly, sliding his hand down her midriff.

Haruhi slid out of his hold and turned to face him, a playful look on her face. "I think I'll get dressed, I don't want to be late for school … You know, I might end up looking forward to having the bump. I doubt you'll be so forward in a few months when I'm as big as a house."

Tamaki shook his head. "Nonsense. You'll always look beautiful to me."

* * *

Haruhi had actually been looking forward to her appointment for two reasons: one, she was having her first ultrasound and would be able to hear her baby's heartbeat; and two, Tamaki was coming with her.

She could tell Tamaki was feeling guilty about not being aware for her first trimester and appeared to be trying to make up for that fact now.

Although they were both young and panicking about how they were going to handle everything, they were still trying their best to prepare to be good parents. Tamaki had read those damned books Kyoya had bought several times over already, and even gone out to purchase more. Feeling inadequate about her current knowledge, Haruhi decided to do the same and they both studied up on parenthood together.

Now they were on their way to the clinic to see their child for the first time.

Tamaki had been jumpy the whole time he was in the waiting room, whispering in Haruhi's ear about the fliers he saw (he got especially worried when he saw a whooping cough warning poster) so Haruhi was grateful when they were finally called up.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Fujioka. And I assume you're the daddy?" Mr Jenson smiled at Tamaki, who jerked at being called 'daddy'. Haruhi tried to hide a smile. To think that just a few months ago he was calling himself that.

"Uh, yeah… I'm Tamaki Suoh" he said, shaking the doctors hand.

"It's nice to meet you. Well, Miss Fujioka, we can do your first ultrasound so that you can see your baby and make sure everything's okay, and we might even be able to hear the heartbeat."

Tamaki beamed, excited to see what would happen.

"Uh, okay" Haruhi said a little anxiously.

The doctor smiled warmly. "There's no need to be nervous, Miss Fujioka. If you would, simply lay on the bed and lift up your shirt. I just have to apply some gel and that should allow us to see into your womb."

Haruhi followed the instructions with Tamaki at her side.

"I can't believe this is actually happening" she mumbled as she lifted up her shirt to reveal the emerging bump. Tamaki hummed in agreement, apparently too in awe to form a coherent sentence.

Haruhi jumped as the gel has applies, surprised at the coldness (and the slight awkwardness) but watched as Dr Jenson used his wand-like instrument to look for the baby in her womb.

"Oh, there!"

Tamaki and Haruhi looked up to see the black and white image on the screen next to them.

"See? That's its head, and there's the feet…"

Despite the colouring, they could clearly see the blob-like figure which was their unborn son or daughter.

Haruhi reached out for Tamaki's hand as she gazed at their baby on the screen.

Tamaki thought it was the most magical thing he'd ever seen and didn't bother trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Are… are they healthy?" Haruhi asked nervously.

Dr Jenson nodded. "Yup, absolutely perfect."

"How could they be anything but" Tamaki claimed happily, squeezing Haruhi's hand supportively. "Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"No, its too early for that" Dr Jenson said happily. "If you want to find out the sex you'll have to wait until the sixth month."

Tamaki sighed. He wanted to know _now_. Not that it mattered. A little prince _or_ princess would be absolutely perfect. Anything that shared his and Haruhi's genes was bound to be flawless.

"Should we try to find the heartbeat?" the doctor suggested with a cheerful glint in his eye.

The young couple nodded, excited to hear their baby for the first time.

Despite Haruhi being terrified about everything to do with her pregnancy, she couldn't deny the bond she felt forming between her and her baby.

After fiddling around for a few moments, the doctor was finally able to find the heartbeat.

Tamaki let the tears slide down his face and Haruhi didn't bother hiding her emotions at all.

"Oh my…" she gasped.

"It's incredible, isn't it" Tamaki breathed.

After a few minutes of them simply listening to their baby's heartbeat in silence, the doctor slowly put away the medical equipment and allowed Haruhi to sit back up.

"How many copies would you like?" Dr Jenson asked, referring to the photograph of the ultrasound.

"Two please" Tamaki said. He wanted a copy of his own to cherish. Almost like an idol to worship in place of a god, he would treasure this photograph as if it was a baby until his child was born. As soon as he got home, his copy was pinned to his fridge.

* * *

 **What did you guys think about the reveal? Finallyyy Tamaki knows, I know it was bugging a lot of you and now it's finally here! I think its fairly obviously that they're keeping the baby. I didn't include a discussion of adoption because I think from their interaction it was clear to them that they both wanted to raise the baby themselves, despite their age. I just think that's most in character for them both. If you disagree feel free to explain why in a review :)**

 **Side note: everything related to pregnancy I had to look up, and I found out that it takes a little longer for first time mothers to start showing and the average is around 12-18 weeks for most women. I thought that was pretty late, so I put Haruhi somewhere in the middle.**

 **~ Responding to reviews ~**

 **Lemon Fanfabric – I'm so glad you're liking this story so much, thanks for reviewing every time :) and maybe. I don't introduce OC's for nothing!**

 **Daughter of the Oceans – so excited to have a new reviewer! I guess this chapter answered your question :p**

 **Krys2007 – I guess this chapter answered your question, I hope you liked the reveal! I'm glad you like my writing, thank you so much xx**

 **Aileen7985 – great to have a new reader, I hope you're liking it!**

 **MommaDiamond – aww thank you, that means so much! TBH I'm a little embarraased by some of the stuff I write as well, but as long as you guys like it imma keep doing it. Sorry, I know waiting sucks :( but it's pretty impossible for me to keep up with more than once a week so I hope the waits are worth it**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – thank you so much, I'm glad you like my writing!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Haruhiiiii!"

Haruhi sighed as she heard Tamaki singing from the hallway. "What is it?" she replied weakly.

"Where are the – ah, are you okay?" his voice changed to one of concern as he saw Haruhi sitting on the bathroom floor, still dressed only in her sleepwear.

"Uh yeah, just a little morning sickness."

"I thought you were supposed to be over that?" Tamaki asked, tilting his head in concern.

Haruhi shrugged and reached out her hand, silently asking for a lift up. "I guess it goes away gradually. I only just hit the second trimester" she reminded him as he pulled her up into his arms.

"Okay… as long as you tell me if something feels wrong" he told her sternly. Haruhi nodded, just happy that she didn't have to keep such a big secret from her boyfriend anymore.

"Of course, I will" she said, mock-offended.

"Speaking of telling people things…" Tamaki trailed off, looking down at the brunette "what about the others? And our parents? They're going to find out soon enough…"

Haruhi paled at the thought of going through telling people again, then feeling immediately guilty knowing that she had taken away the opportunity for Tamaki to tell his mother the announcement of his firstborn. "Well… to be honest, your mother already knows."

Tamaki spluttered "What?! You – she – how?" he didn't sound angry per se, just baffled.

Haruhi reddened. "She kind of figured it out on her own when we were in France."

Tamaki gaped, then his eyes widened in realisation.

"Wait, was that what you were crying about in the kitchen that day?" Haruhi nodded in embarrassment.

Tamaki paused for a moment before throwing his arms around her again. "You're so cuuute!" he exclaimed happily, before suddenly turning sombre. "I'm sorry you had to go through that on your own."

Haruhi shrugged. "It's my own fault… besides, we probably should think about telling people, like the host club for example. Kyoya already knows, but the others will figure it out eventually when this-" she gestured to her stomach "-becomes more noticeable."

Tamaki nodded. "Yeah, and our fathers as well…" he trailed off, stuck in his own nightmare containing Ranka and a variety of weapons.

Haruhi shuffled her feet a little. "Well… they're in Japan, that can probably wait a little longer…"

Tamaki's eyebrows knitted together. "Haruhi… we have to tell them. I admit I'm not looking forward to it either, but-"

"That's not it." Haruhi interrupted. "I just... I really don't want to disappoint my dad. He was so proud of me for getting my scholarship, and then getting accepted into this program, and now I've completely thrown that down the drain by getting knocked up..." By this point, Haruhi had tears streaming down her red face as the stress caught up to her. In an instance, Tamaki had trapped her in another hug.

"Don't cry, Haruhi. Your dad loves you and would never abandon you. There is nothing for him to be disappointed by. If anything, he'll blame me. But don't think for a second that our baby is going to hinder you in anyway. You are going to finish your education, get the job of your dreams and be an incredible lawyer, and even better mother. Don't doubt yourself for a second. And me and your father will be there every step of the way" he said firmly.

Haruhi sniffed. "Maybe I won't tell him until I go back to Japan. After all, this news would be better said face to face."

Tamaki sighed.

"Haruhi, we're not going back to Japan until September, after your due date. I think your father will be more hurt to find out that you hid it from him for so long. The longer you leave it, the more it will hurt later," Tamaki advised. "trust me, I would know. You can't be calling your dad when you're in labour and tell him you've been lying to him for 9 months."

Haruhi took a deep breath. "I guess not… Just… give me a little longer okay? I'm not ready to tell him. How about we start with telling the host club, and then go from there?"

Tamaki nodded. "Sure. Why don't we do that on my birthday, after all we all agreed to go out together."

"Okay" Haruhi agreed. "Any idea how they'll react?"

Tamaki shrugged. "Kyoya reacted pretty sensibly, right? I don't see why we can't see that same maturity from the other members!"

 _Yeah, we're doomed_ , Haruhi thought privately. She'd let Tamaki have his delusions for now, before the shit really hit the fan.

* * *

Haruhi's 20th week of pregnancy was marked by Tamaki's eighteenth birthday, and they had decided to use his party to announce her pregnancy to the host club. Haruhi was understandably nervous, having no idea how they would react. She was particularly worried about Hikaru, who she was sure was bound to attack Tamaki at the first mention of anything sexual between them.

Tamaki, however, was oblivious to any potential threats to his safety from the overprotective brother-figures of Haruhi's in the club and was happily flitting through the apartment pinning up decorations and mumbling about surprises. Haruhi had stopped trying to interpret his inner mind theatre musings a long time ago.

"Tamaki, what are you doing?" she asked in exasperation as she spotted Tamaki balancing himself on the back of the couch and the wall trying to hang up a banner.

"I told you, I'm doing the decorations! Commoner style!"

Haruhi opened her mouth to complain, but at that second the doorbell rang.

"Uh, I'll be right back, just don't fall until then!" she told him hurriedly as she moved towards the front door.

Haruhi opened up the door and to no surprise saw Kyoya at their doorstep.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai, come in."

"Thank you" the tall dark-haired boy crossed over the threshold as Haruhi locked the door behind him, looking around, assumingly for Tamaki.

"So… you told him." He said matter-of-factly.

Haruhi nodded shyly. "Uh yeah, sort of. He knows now anyway."

"Good, good… to be honest, I was expecting some frantic phone call from him when you finally did tell him."

"Well I think he was a little unhappy that you found out first" Haruhi said with a slight wince.

"Understandable. He hasn't mentioned anything at school either."

Haruhi couldn't help but feel a little glad. She didn't really want the news spread around the school, knowing she'd be judged for her poor planning. Haruhi was known for not really caring what people thought about her, but this wasn't just her, it was her child, and she already felt a little protective of the unborn baby.

"We're going to tell everyone. Today."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "That's a big turnaround, don't you think?"

Haruhi shrugged. "They're going to find out soon enough when I start showing. I'd rather not leave it until then."

"Right. Well, I'm glad you took my advice in the end."

Haruhi frowned as Kyoya moved away from her and towards the living room to greet Tamaki.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki yelled as he practically tackled his friend.

"Happy birthday, idiot" Kyoya deadpanned.

"Hey boooss!" Hikaru and Kaoru appeared from nowhere, frightening Tamaki into falling over the back of the couch.

"You idiots!" he hollered, starting one of his rants just as Haruhi invited in Mori and Honey as well.

"Hey Tama-chan, are you okay?" Honey asked in concern, finally causing Tamaki to end his outburst.

"Yes, yes, quite alright Honey-senpai!"

 _How is he so calm!?_ Haruhi asked herself angrily. She was anxious as anything! They were about to tell their friends they were going to have a baby at 17 and 18, that's not calm news!

"We bought cake! Should we eat now and open the presents afterwards?" Honey suggested happily, bouncing in anticipation.

Tamaki and Haruhi exchanged a look. They had planned to do presents first, eat and then make their announcement after dinner.

"Uh, no I think we'll do presents first and then have dinner. You don't mind waiting for dessert do you, Honey-senpai?" Haruhi said sweetly, holding her hands out to take the cake to the fridge.

Honey pouted, but with a "Mitskuni, you can wait" from Mori, he carefully passed the cake over to Haruhi.

They continued to spend time chatting and opening presents while waiting for the food to cook, and Haruhi was grateful that the conversation turned casual and Tamaki and Kyoya were able to keep their mouths shut.

The closer it got to dinner, the more anxious Haruhi got, and she found herself getting up to check on the food far more than necessary to compose herself.

 _You're this nervous about telling your friends, how are you going to react when you have to tell your dad?_ She chastised herself mentally.

"Haruhi, are you alright?" she spun around in shock as she heard Tamaki's voice.

"Tamaki! You scared me!"

Tamaki frowned. "Yeah… is that all you're scared about?" he said knowingly.

Haruhi didn't respond.

"I'm scared too" he admitted "but I know its different for you since you're actually carrying the baby… if you don't want to do this, you don't have to, is the point I'm trying to make" he said, fumbling for words.

Haruhi considered this, but then shook her head after a moment. "No… there's no point in waiting, like I said, they'll find out eventually."

Tamaki smiled a little at that. "Maybe sooner if you keep doing that' he gestured to her stomach. Haruhi looked down and realised her hand was cupping her tiny bump. She blushed and moved it away.

"I… didn't even realise I was doing that."

"You've been doing that all night" Tamaki said with a slight chuckle.

Haruhi bit her lip. What if they'd noticed?

"Hey, calm down" Tamaki said comfortingly "no one noticed." He moved towards her and bought his hands forward to cup her bump himself. "I love you."

Haruhi wasn't sure if he was referring to her or the baby, but either way it made her feel better.

"Thank you, Tamaki" she leaned in for a kiss, but they were interrupted by a certain pair of twins.

"Hey, our dinners not burnt is it?" Kaoru asked, announcing their presence.

"Whoa, boss, tone it down over there!" Hikaru teased, spotting the two in the corner.

Tamaki quickly withdrew his hands from his girlfriend's protruding midsection and began yet another outburst against the twins.

"Guys shut up, dinners ready!" Haruhi shouted, moving them out of the way so she could bend down to reach the stove, but Tamaki intercepted her.

"I'll do that!" he claimed cheerfully, bending down in her place.

Haruhi rolled her eyes knowing he was just being overprotective again, while the twins looked on in confusion.

The gathered everyone around the dining room and sat down to enjoy their home cooked meal. The conversation topic ranged from school and university to the Hitachiin's new fashion line to their trip to France. As the night went on, Haruhi gradually became more and more quiet.

The dinner was far too short and when they began clearing away the plates, Haruhi and Tamaki knew it was time to tell them.

"Um, guys we talk to you all for a second…" Haruhi announced shyly when there was a break in the conversation.

"Of course Haru-chan!" Honey replied happily kicking his feet.

Haruhi stood silently for a second, suddenly terrified and mute. Thankfully, Tamaki stepped in, putting his hands on her shoulders.

With this action, the rest of the host club seemed to straighten up, noticing the serious aura in the room.

"What's going on?" Hikaru asked clearly.

Haruhi swallowed thickly. "I – well…" she looked up at Tamaki desperately.

Neither of them really had any idea how to approach the subject.

"So, um, remember Spain?" Tamaki said a little lamely, clearing his voice in embarrassment. Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Uh yeah" Kaoru replied, confused.

"Well uh –"

"Tamaki they…" Haruhi sighed, bringing her hands up to her face, trying to hide. "Guys… okay, I'm just going to get this over with… I'm pregnant."

Silence.

"What?"

She wasn't sure who had spoken, as she was determined to simply stare at the floor.

"Haru-chan is going to have a baby?" Honey clarified in a surprised voice.

"Mhmm" Haruhi squeaked out for fear of her voice cracking.

"Damn, we never should have let you two date!" Hikaru groaned. "Tamaki, you're an idiot."

Haruhi frowned. "Sorry, let us? Since when do you have any authority in my life?"

"You're still our toy" Hikaru snapped, his anger getting away from him.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru said warningly.

"I'm not your anything Hikaru" Haruhi retorted.

As Hikaru went to reply, Tamaki thankfully intervened.

"Would you be quiet for a moment!" he said scathingly. "Obviously this isn't a great situation, but we're doing our best to do the right thing! What's done is done, so all there's left is for you to decide if you're going to be supportive or not."

Hikaru glared at the blonde in front of him. "Maybe you should have thought of doing the right thing before you got her pregnant! I don't understand how this could have happened, Haruhi is the smartest person in our year, so this must be your fault!" he accused.

"My fault?"

"Yes, your fault. We knew you were stupid, but jeez. Why did you take any precautions?"

"It was our mistake, Hikaru and now we're facing the consequences. What's done is done." Haruhi said cuttingly.

The brown-haired twin bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying anything to Haruhi before turning to her idiot boyfriend. "I think you're an inconsiderate jerk to put Haruhi in this position" he said seriously before turning back to Haruhi "but I guess you're right. I'm sorry. I'm just a little… shocked."

Haruhi shrugged. "I guess that's natural. It's okay."

There was definitely some awkward tension in the room, and Honey was the only one brave enough to break it.

"Can we have cake now, Haru-chan?"

"Uh, yeah sure Honey-senpai" Haruhi quickly busied herself in the kitchen, relieved to have something to do, but leaving Tamaki alone in the process.

There was a beat of silence, before Kaoru teasingly said "I can't believe Tono is going to be a real daddy."

With Hikaru still sulking, Kyoya surprisingly stepped into the other twins role. "Yes, it does seem amusing. After all, you spent all that time insisting that Haruhi call you daddy."

Tamaki turned red, glaring at them.

"That's even more incestuous than mine and Hikaru's act at the club!" Kaoru cracked up laughing.

"Don't put it like that!" Tamaki complained over the barely stifled laughter of the rest of hosts.

"Cakes ready!" Haruhi said loudly, desperately trying to turn the attention away from their sex life.

It seemed to work and things soon returned to normal, despite the odd atmosphere that came from people knowing she was pregnant. The conversation stayed fairly neutral, other than the twin musings about a possible newborn line in the Hitachiin fashion label and Honey asking when he'd be able to give the baby cakes, which Haruhi was adamant against, not wanting her child to be afflicted with diabetes or some other awful sickness from eating too many sweets.

It hadn't been Tamaki's best birthday, having been yelled at and accused of ruining his girlfriends life with his sperm, but he was still happy and determined to make it even better.

As the other hosts were leaving, he washed up the dishes rather than letting Haruhi do it in what he considered a 'very fragile state'.

"Hey, Tamaki, you don't have to do that, it's your birthday" Haruhi told him after bidding goodbye to all their friends.

Tamaki shrugged. "I don't mind doing it, and besides, I'm done" he said as he pulled out the plug.

"Oh…" Haruhi looked down at the floor for a moment. "I'm sorry that they were so rude to you… you should know that I don't blame you. We both made a mistake, but I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this."

Tamaki gave her a small child. "Of course. Our first child" he moved forward and picked up her hand to kiss it.

"Uh, Tamaki?" she inquired when he lingered a little longer.

Tamaki looked up into her eyes and then made his decision, sinking down to one knee.

"Look Haruhi, I hadn't really planned on doing this tonight, but... will you marry me?"

Haruhi stared down at him in silence for a second, before reaching down to pull him back up to his feet.

"Tamaki, I don't want to marry you" Haruhi said calmly.

"Wh-what?"

Haruhi frowned, knowing she was probably breaking his heart, but it had to be done. "Tamaki, I love you, but I can't marry you. Not now anyway, I'm seventeen!"

"What - but it's not proper!" Tamaki looked completely mystified. "We're going to have a baby Haruhi, and any child of ours deserves to be born into a happy, loving family!"

Haruhi sighed. "we're already part of a happy and loving family, we don't need to get married to prove that. Think about it - we were both conceived out of wedlock, and your parents never married. That doesn't make their love lesser than that of a married couple."

"Well, no... But I want to give my child everything I can!" he retorted stubbornly.

"Tamaki, our baby will be spoiled enough with unwed parents. Besides, that's the whole problem - you want to do this for the baby. If I wasn't pregnant, there's no way you'd be proposing right now. I do love you, but when we get married I want it to be because we're ready and want to, not because society says so."

Tamaki looked down guiltily. "So ... you would like to marry me someday?"

"Of course I would, you idiot. But under our own terms. And preferably after I've finished high school. Maybe even University."

Thinking that far ahead was now becoming scary for Haruhi. It was easy enough to plan out her life when she was sure of everything she wanted to do, but now this unknown variable had been thrown in the mix. When the time came for Haruhi to enter university the baby would be a toddler, and she didn't know what their situation would be, if she'd even be able to continue studying or be forced to be a stay at home Mum.

Tamaki smiled and brought Haruhi in for a hug.

"Okay… I promise one day I'll propose again, at the right time."

Haruhi ended up spending the night at Tamaki's apartment at his request, cuddling up to him after some late-night activities.

Tamaki pulled her into his naked arms, happy for the first time in what felt like ages. He'd been so preoccupied with thoughts of becoming a father and worrying about Haruhi that he hadn't had time to simply rest in a while.

"Mmmm, I missed you" Haruhi murmured, snuggling up to him. Tamaki beamed, pleased that she was acting so lovingly for once.

"Missed me? I've been here the whole time" he replied, amused.

"Um, not what I meant" she said blushingly. Tamaki turned red himself as he realised she was talking about the sex. They hadn't been intimate for quite a while, now that he thought about it.

"I suppose I missed you too. I was a little hesitant to do so though. I was afraid of hurting the baby" he admitted. Haruhi laughed softly, moving her hand down to her stomach.

"The baby can't feel you – wait, you couldn't feel it, right?" she asked, suddenly worried "It didn't feel… weird, or, or different right?"

It was Tamaki's turn to chuckle this time. "No, don't be silly mon amour."

Haruhi smiled, realising her stupidity. She didn't know why she thought the sex would be different now that she was pregnant – maybe it had to do with the fact her bump was now visible – well, to people who knew to look for it.

"I'm sure it'll change with time. I doubt you'll want me when I'm the size of a watermelon" she teased. Tamaki rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stupid. I'll always love you and want you, especially when you're carrying our baby."

With that, he moved down to plant a kiss on her bare stomach.

Haruhi grinned when she realised Tamaki had fallen asleep on her. She wasn't sure if it was healthy to have all that weight on her bump, so she shifted him so that his head was now resting on her chest. Though to her amusement he'd moved his hands down to feel the bump.

Feeling satisfied and well-rested for once, Haruhi quickly fell to sleep, a smile plastered across her face.

* * *

 **I hope you guys like this chapter and how they told the host club! I'd actually pre-written some parts of this chapters aaages ago and didn't even realise I had them stored away but went looking through some files and thankfully found them in time! Yay past me!**

 **A part of this chapter that I want to specifically address is Tamaki's proposal: this was meant to highlight just how unprepared they really are, as we all know that Tamaki would love to prepare a big date to propose to her at instead of on a whim in his apartment. I hope it didn't seem like it was randomly chucked in, because it had a subliminal message aha.**

 **Oh and if you guys were confused about Haruhi saying 'we were** _ **both**_ **conceived out of wedlock', then hear my theory. In the manga and anime, we see Ranka and Kotoko as newlyweds (check the episode 'a day in the life of the Fujioka family') but in these flashbacks Kotoko was already pregnant. So my theory is that she got pregnant out of wedlock, but Haruhi was born after they got married, hence saying 'conceived' rather than 'born' as we all know Tamaki is a bastard child ;)**

 **On a sad note, I found out that I won't have any wifi for the next 2 weeks, so I won't be able to update until at least the 28** **th** **. On the bright side, I have no school during these two weeks, so I will be catching up on writing and hopefully you guys will get much longer and quicker updates after this gap!**

 **On a personal note, tomorrow is my birthday, so I'm hoping to wake up to lots of reviews from you guys ;)**

* * *

 **~ Responding to reviews ~**

 **First of all, a lot of you guys mentioned the photo on the fridge – you really have no faith in me, do you? That was supposed to just be a really cute symbol of Tamaki's love, but you all just assumed I would do something evil with it! I'm so offended! (OK, looking back it looked a little like foreshadowing but jeez there is really no faith in me lmao)**

 **MommaDiamond – Yes, I thought the photo was so in character and adorable, and thank you so much! It takes a lot of effort to write and I'm glad it seems so natural aha**

 **oopsitsmelol – Don't be sorry! I'm so pleased!**

 **yaly.97cello – No, thank you! I'm glad everything is so realistic, that's exactly what I'm striving for**

 **Daughter of the Oceans – in a good way or a bad way lol, thanks!**

 **krys2007 – aw, I'm glad this cheered you up, I hope you liked this chapter just as much! And the Tamaki's mum thing… was totally just me forgetting lmao, so I had to add it in this chapter. Good job on calling me out lol.**

 **Lemon fabric – good luck on your exams! And yes, lots of probably very OOC mood swings from Haruhi are to come!**

 **wolflover21 – yay, another fan! I'm so glad you like the story, I hope you stay tuned!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm sooo sorry for making you guys worry about the 2 week break, but it turned out to be a false alarm, I'm not sure why but our wifi hasn't been switched off and I'm not about to ask lol. Enjoy the chapter and please review!**

* * *

"Miss Fujioka, could I speak to you after class?"

Haruhi looked up, startled at being called out. She was usually a pretty quiet student and never caused trouble, so she wasn't sure why she was being called out in class.

The twins gave her an odd look, but she waved them away, letting them know she'd be fine. It was the last class of the day, so she was sure that they'd just wait outside for her anyway.

As the other students packed up and left the classroom she walked up to the teacher's desk, patiently waiting for her to explain why she'd been held back.

"Miss Fujioka, I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to stay back. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Well…"

Haruhi gave the teacher a confused look. "I don't quite understand, Miss Peterson."

The elderly woman sighed. "Haruhi, as well as teaching, I am also part of the administration staff and have counselling training. I want to let you know that you can come to me with any troubles you may have."

Haruhi nodded with a sinking feeling that Miss Peterson knew about her current 'troubles'.

"I have to tell you that we receive regular medical reports on our students to keep our own records up to date."

"Oh." Haruhi swallowed, a little unsure of how to act after being caught. "Um, I…"

Miss Peterson pursed her lips. "This isn't the first time we've dealt with a teen pregnancy, but it's the first time we've had a scholarship student in this predicament."

Haruhi frowned, feeling ashamed.

"I'm truly sorry" she apologised.

"May I ask who the father is? It will be incredibly difficult if the father is stuck here when you return to Korea."

Haruhi stared for a moment. "Uh… Japan. And um, no, my boyfriend is Tamaki Suoh, he'll be coming home with me at the end of the year."

The teacher turned bright red for a second before composing herself. "Of course, my apologies. I suppose that is a good thing. Unfortunately, we can't make any decisions until we contact your original schools chairman to see how we proceed."

Haruhi instantly turned white.

 _Fuck!_

Ouran's chairman was her baby's grandfather!

"Uh, can we leave that for another day" she asked desperately.

Miss Peterson nodded apprehensively. "Of course, I understand if you'd like some time to prepare, though you must know that I can only give you a few days at most."

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah, I get it. It's just that uh, Tamaki, he's the chairman's son, and, well … I think it would be better for him to find out as a father first, and then as a chairman."

The teacher's eyes widened, in what looked like a mix of shock, sympathy and exasperation. "Oh. Wow, what an… oddly compromising situation. Um, good luck Miss Fujioka. Oh, and I think its best that you keep your pregnancy a secret from the other students for now. I think the news would cause a bit of a stir at school."

Haruhi agreed and turned to leave as soon as she was permitted. The teacher was a little old-fashioned and maybe a bit… geographically ignorant, but she clearly meant well.

The twins had been waiting for her outside the door and she quietly explained her predicament to the two as they walked back to the apartment building together.

"So are you going to tell Chairman Suoh about the baby then?" Kaoru asked.

"I suppose we have to now," Haruhi mused "though I'm not sure how Tamaki will feel about that."

"Well you're going to have to tell him one of these days. I'm sure he'd notice if Tono started walking around the mansion with a baby that looks like you two. Might as well tell him now" Hikaru rationalised.

They had just reached their apartment building and were walking up the steps to their separate homes.

"Yeah, you're right." Haruhi sighed. "I should just go and tell him now."

After saying their goodbyes, the twins ascended up the stairs to their own apartment, while Haruhi walked down to Tamaki's front door.

She didn't have a spare key, but the only reason for that was she could get in through the 'love door' anytime she wanted to go over to Tamaki's apartment (she was the only one who ever blocked off its entrance), and there was only one spare key per apartment, and everyone had agreed that Kyoya should be the only person (bar Haruhi) with easy access to Tamaki's apartment.

Haruhi knocked on the door, knowing he was home and waited for approximately forty seconds before the door flew open and she was enveloped in a crushing hug.

"Haruhiii! I missed you!"

"I saw you less than twenty-four hours ago" she said bluntly.

Tamaki ignored this, choosing to drag her inside rather than answer.

"And hello baby! Are you going to kick for daddy now?" he asked, bending down to be eye-level with Haruhi's midsection. Despite the idiocy, Haruhi couldn't help but smile at his excitement. She was so glad that her baby would have such an enthusiastic father rather than a deadbeat, as she heard many teenage fathers were.

She chuckled "I don't think he can kick on command." At 21 weeks, they had read that they may be able to feel the baby kicking soon, and Tamaki had been anxiously anticipating the event, not wanting to miss the milestone.

Tamaki looked up at her with a grin on his face. "He?"

Haruhi blinked. "Oh. I hadn't even realised I'd said it… well, it's better than calling the baby 'it', don't you think?"

"Yeah, but do you think it's a boy?" Tamaki asked, straightening up so that he was again eye-level with her rather than her belly. Well, above eye-level. She was short.

"I haven't given it much thought" she admitted "I guess a little boy would be cute… Why, what do you want?"

"I'd adore a little prince or princess!" Tamaki announced in his usual flamboyant way, before deflating. "But I can't wait four months to find out! Haruhi, when can we find out the sex again?"

"So you want to know?" Haruhi asked, an eyebrow raised. She wasn't sure why it surprised her that Tamaki wanted to find out before the baby was born. He was quite impatient with the things that excited him.

"Yes! Don't you?"

Haruhi shrugged. She'd been telling the truth when she said she hadn't given it much thought, and she really didn't have a preference. 'He' had slipped out, perfectly explainable by her more boyish tendencies. "I suppose knowing would make things more convenient. The doctor won't be able to tell until I'm six months along though, so we'll have to wait a few weeks…"

Tamaki pouted a little "I suppose that's not too long… oh! What did you come over for? Or did you just miss me?" he added cheekily.

"Oh. Right."

Remembering her reason for dropping by Tamaki's apartment, Haruhi's mood instantly dimmed.

"My teacher wanted to speak to me today" she started "you know the school collects our medical records… well, now they know I'm pregnant." Tamaki paled. "And now they have to tell your father, since he's the chairman…"

Tamaki coughed. "Oh. Um. Problem."

"Yeah." Haruhi waited for him to say something, but when he remained silent, she continued. "Look, your father is going to figure it out soon – in a matter of days. It'll either be from the school or us. I'm not too keen on explaining to your father that the baby affecting my scholarship belongs to his son in a room full of teachers, so we need to call him personally."

Tamaki took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah… okay, that's fair. Um, I'll call the first mansion tonight and see if he's available."

Haruhi frowned, saddened by the fact that Tamaki couldn't even call his father directly, lest he be interrupting some meeting or his fathers work. After all the time she'd spent at Ouran, she could now see how being rich came with its own set of problems and setbacks.

Realising that she and her child would soon be trapped in that complicated web of wealth and prestige wasn't a welcome thought.

* * *

Tamaki was told that the Suoh patriarch would be available to talk around midnight, and Haruhi had insisted that they stay awake rather than putting off the call. To make sure that Tamaki would actually take the call, she had decided to stay the night at his apartment – though it was mostly an excuse as the two spent most nights together anyway.

Haruhi was laying on her back in Tamaki's bed, reading one of her pregnancy books when she felt an odd fluttery feeling below her naval. Her hand flew to her protruding stomach in shock, waiting a second before she felt it again.

"Tamaki, Tamaki come here quick!" Haruhi called the blonde over as she placed her hand over her stomach, desperate to savour the feeling.

"What is it?" Tamaki asked in panic as he ran into the room. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"Yes, yes, now come here!"

Tamaki moved over to the bed, dressed in only his jeans and socks, confused as to why she had called him over so urgently.

"What is it?"

"Come here!" she repeated angrily, patting the space next to her. Tamaki sat down and moved closer. "Feel" she took his hand in her own and placed it over her abdomen.

Tamaki scrunched up his face. "I don't-" his eyes widened when he felt an odd pressure against his hand and looked down to see Haruhi beaming up at him.

"Did you feel it?" She asked excitedly. Tamaki nodded wondrously.

"Is that..."

"That's our baby" Haruhi confirmed, her eyes now glistening.

Tamaki gaped, completely speechless.

A second later they both felt the same fluttering feeling again, Tamaki from his hand and Haruhi from her womb. Both were incredible yet odd feelings that they were both treasuring.

"Oh wow..." Tamaki said, tears prickling his eyes.

Ordinarily this would be something Haruhi would tease him for, but she too was fending off tears after feeling their child for the first time.

"It's hard to believe that there's a real life growing person in there" she mused. Tamaki nodded, simply rubbing his hand in circles in attempt to feel the movement again.

The couple stayed in the same position for a few minutes before it became clear that the baby was done moving and settling down for the day. Still, Tamaki kept one hand on Haruhi's belly as he moved to lay his head on the pillow alongside hers.

As fate would have it, as soon as they got comfortable, the phone rang.

The couple exchanged worried glances before Tamaki moved down the bed to grab his phone from the bedside table. Before he clicked answer, Haruhi quickly kissed his cheek and sat up to listen to the conversation.

"Hi father" Tamaki answered shakily, leaning slightly on Haruhi.

"Hello Tamaki. It's unusual of you to request a call, though I'm glad you did!"

Tamaki visibly flinched, and Haruhi rubbed his arm, sure he was probably feeling guilty about not speaking to his father.

"Um yeah, sorry about that, I'll try to call more often…" he glanced down at Haruhi before taking a deep breath. "So, father… I have something to tell you…"

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Um, you know Haruhi Fujioka?"

"You mean the girl you followed to America for no other reason other than not wanting to be apart from her?" Yuzuru teased.

Normally Tamaki would have blushed and spluttered out some excuse, but the tension in the room was so thick that all he wanted to do was end the conversation. Haruhi held onto him a little tighter, and Tamaki decided to rip off the band aid.

"Well… we're dating an-" Yuzuru made a small celebratory noise, eager to continue teasing his son, but Tamaki cut across him "-and she's pregnant."

Tamaki wanted more than anything to hang up the phone, but he forced himself to stay on the line and listen to his father's reaction.

"What? You – Tamaki, why are you telling me this?" he asked, an angry undertone indicating that he already suspected Tamaki was the father.

Tamaki bit his lip. "Um. Because well, Haruhi has to discuss her options with the teachers here and you, and she wanted to you to know before then, because well… it's mine."

Yuzuru was halfway between a state of shock and amusement.

Of course he was horrified that his teenage son was going to have a baby in the coming months, but he couldn't help but draw parallels between Tamaki and himself. Both of them had fallen for women of lower status and had a child with them. His mother would have kittens over this.

"Tamaki… this poor girl" Yuzuru sighed. "How is my future daughter-in-law?"

Hearing the comment, Haruhi blushed, which Tamaki found simply adorable. Squeezing her, he replied "healthy, Haruhi and the baby are fine, but she's a little nervous about your reaction. Father, Haruhi worked really hard to get into Ouran, and this exchange program is like a dream come true for her, please, you have to-"

"Tamaki, don't worry. I have no intention of revoking that girl's scholarship because of your blunder. Please assure Haruhi Fujioka that her place at Ouran Academy will be kept and her program in Boston will be fought for, for the sake of my grandchild's future."

Tamaki swallowed. "You say that like… I won't be around. And I will be. I intend to stay with Haruhi and our child for the rest of my life… they are my life from now on."

At that statement, Haruhi couldn't held but bury her head into Tamaki's chest, hugging him tightly. When she had first found out about all of this she had been so afraid that he would abandon her, and that she would be forced to quit her dream of being a lawyer to raise a child alone. She was eternally grateful that she had such a wonderful, loving boyfriend who was willing to stick around and be a family together.

"Tamaki, I am so proud to have raised such a gentleman. But I'm telling you, it won't be easy. Your grandmother may have come to accept you more before you left for Boston, but this is something else entirely. Remember, your mother was still a respectable woman in high society at the time we met. For all Miss Fujioka's academic excellency, she is still a commoner. I love you, and love anyone you chose, but there are other families that would judge us for that love, and don't think your grandmother would stop caring about the company just because she is no longer the head of it. If I were you – and I was at one point, remember that – I would start preparing for the worst."

Tamaki's eyes narrowed as he heard this.

He remembered all those time when he was just a little boy living in France wondering why his grandmother didn't like him and why his father rarely visited.

It had been such a lonely life, full of self-doubt and wondering when he would ever be good enough. He didn't want that for his own child.

"I think you're the one who needs to prepare to lose me, because I don't intend on losing my family." He accentuated the 'my', sliding his hand to rest on Haruhi's bump.

"… Either way Tamaki, you need to be prepared for anything. I will tell your grandmother about this… development. I love you."

When Tamaki clicked the 'end' button on the call, he simply tossed the phone back on the table and laid down on the bed, groaning.

Haruhi looked at him blankly for a second, pondering the relationship between him and his father. She could never quite figure out if the two were close or not. The older man couldn't be there for a large portion of Tamaki's childhood, and now that he was in Japan, they didn't even live with each other up until a few months ago. But still, Tamaki acted still acted as a son should around him. It was odd.

It also left Haruhi pondering her relationship with her own father.

No doubt, she and Ranka were close, but she was still so afraid of disappointing him that she hadn't yet told him about her baby.

There were several missed calls on her phone from Ranka, but each time it rang Haruhi let it go to voicemail. She knew if she answered she'd have to tell him and she just wasn't ready for that yet.

"Tamaki… thank you" she said, laying down besides him. The blonde simply moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders and turned his head into her side.

"I love you."

* * *

 **I realised that you guys may be a little confused as to how far along Haruhi is since I skip time a lot. In this chapter she is 5 months along and its April (we're up to date, yay!)**

 **So you guys may be wondering how long the story will be, and that all really depends on what you guys want, and how much time I have. There will definitely be 20 chapters as that is when the baby will be born, but I have 35 planned. The last 15 will take place during the baby's first year of life, up until Haruhi's graduation in chapter 1 (remember this whole thing is a flashback aha). What I think is most likely going to happen is that I will post chapter 20 as if it was the last chapter, with a sense of finality with it, and then go on hiatus until I have finished all the other chapters, and then post them in bulk. I'm not sure how long this will take, especially with school and everything I have to do, but I'm thinking I'll have chapter 20 out by at least the 22nd of June based on my current posting schedule. The last 15 chapters just depends on the time I have and unfortunately I have no idea how busy I'll be then, but hopefully chapter 20 will provide as a satisfactory alternate ending in the meantime.**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **( thank you all for your kind reviews and birthday wishes! )**

 **MommaDiamond – that was a really hard chapter to write because I wasn't sure how they would react. Kyoya already knew and Hikaru would go off the handle, so I had Kaoru trying to be the voice of reason, but I didn't know what to write in regards to Mori and Honey, they're really complex characters. I think Honey's childish nature would mean he was excited at the potential of a cute little baby, but also know the seriousness of the situation, but he internalised that for Haruhi's sake. And I have no idea what Mori would think. He's such a mystery, but being part of the host club I'm sure he'd be supportive. I'm just trying my best to keep them in character. And of course, I live for Tamaki and Haruhi fluff, so I have to provide lol.**

 **Yaly.97cello – thanks for being so awesome and continuing to review each chapter, now** _ **that's**_ **sweet aha.**

 **Krys2007 – I'm glad you think Tamaki is developing, sometimes it feels like he's super serious and then another minute he'll revert back to a child, so trying to write him like this is really challenging. I'm so happy you like this fic and think they're all in character, that really is my biggest worry (which you've probably figured from my authors notes lol) Thanks so much, every review is appreciated, and the longer the better aha**

 **Lemon fabric – yaaaay congratulations! I hope you still trust me and love the story! And yeah, with the reactions, those were hard to write. I figured that Hikaru would be pretty upset and had Kaoru calming him down. I think Honey would be excited for a cute little baby, but also know the seriousness deep down. Nevertheless, I think he and Mori would be supportive and help out their friends no matter what, I just wasn't sure how to write it and figured implying it would be better than a shitty paragraph. Thanks so much for the review and have a great week!**


	14. Chapter 14

At Haruhi's request, Tamaki was no longer inviting his study group to his apartment after school, but they still needed to complete their assignment, so they had agreed to meet up in the public library.

Tamaki still didn't completely understand why Haruhi didn't like him being alone with Brittney, but he was content to play by her rules while she was pregnant and hormonal. He wanted her to be as stress-free and healthy as possible.

However, Luke and Jason had both had to cancel last minute as they were on the football team and had to train for the next game, so it was just him and Brittney. He wasn't sure if that went against Haruhi's rules or not, but either way he needed to finish the assignment.

"So Tamaki… how have you been the last few days?"

"Oh, I've been quite well, thank you!" Tamaki said promptly, shoving down all the nervous feelings that accompanied telling his family about his unborn child.

"Great!" as Tamaki was about to pick up a piece of paper, he felt Brittney's hand brush his. He looked up in confusion, only to be greeted by the American girl grinning.

"How about we take a break for a sec? I wanted to talk to you about something" she asked, grabbing hold of his hand.

"Er… alright" Tamaki said, his eyes flickering down to their joined hands. _What is she doing…_

"So, I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date sometime. You're a really awesome guy and I'd love to get to know you better!" she leaned in close, confident that she was about to get a kiss.

Instead, Tamaki pulled back. As dense as he could be, there was no misinterpreting Brittney's intentions. Now he understood why Haruhi hadn't liked Brittney.

The girls in America were wildly different from the girls in Japan.

Tamaki had never been asked out before. In Japan the host club had a general rule of look don't touch, and most of the girls seemed content to admire him and his friends from a distance rather than be in a direct relationship with them. In fact, some of their guests even had boyfriends and used the host club for advice.

Tamaki had never even really considered having a girlfriend until Haruhi came along. While he enjoyed making others happy, none of the girls had appealed to him on a deep level and he'd never had any real interest in dating.

Then Haruhi came around, challenging all of his advances which only endeared her to him more. Still, she'd been shy in showcasing her feelings – still was in fact – which he was familiar with in all the girls.

Until he came to America.

Brittney was full of confidence and was standing boldly in front of him expecting him to accept her confession.

"Well?" she asked, not rudely but curiously.

"Um… I'm terribly sorry Brittney, but I can't return your feelings. You see, I'm already in a relationship."

Brittney's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "With who?"

"Haruhi. You've met her."

"What, that Asian chick who barged into your apartment?"

Tamaki frowned. "Uh yeah … Um… you know I'm Japanese right?"

"I thought you were French…"

"Well, I was born and raised there until I was fourteen, but my father's side is Japanese."

"… Oh. Okay. Well, whatever, I mean who's to say that that won't change in a few weeks? Would you date me then?" she asked with a flick of her hair.

Tamaki shook his head. "Trust me, it won't change."

Brittney cocked her head, an amused look on her face. "Oh yeah, why's that?"

Tamaki bit his cheek. He really didn't know what to say to her. He knew they were trying to keep the baby news quiet, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to tell Brittney. He couldn't just say he didn't like her, that was so un-gentleman-ly!

"Tamaki" Brittney trilled in a singsong voice. "When you and Haruhi are over, will I stand a chance?"

Tamaki's eyed narrowed in annoyance. He couldn't have her speaking about Haruhi that way or lead her on!

"Haruhi is pregnant." He said firmly.

Brittney blanched, taken aback for a second before her features slowly softened.

"Wow… really? Look, Tamaki, you don't have to stay with her just 'cause you feel sorry for her. It's not your problem if she's just a slut."

Tamaki gaped at the small girl before him. "Excuse me?" he said angrily.

Brittney shrugged. "just cause your loaded doesn't mean you have to support the brat."

Tamaki was speechless. She just… that was…

"That 'brat' is my child" he said coolly.

Brittney's eyes widened. "O-Oh. I didn't – no, that was really – umm…"

"I think I'm going to leave now…"

"N-No!" Brittney grasped his hand again, only for Tamaki to jerk away.

"Leave me and my family alone" he snapped, quickly gathering his belongings and leaving.

Brittney sat at the table, completely confused.

That wasn't supposed to happen…

If that stupid girl hadn't gotten in the way, she and Tamaki would probably already be dating! And now… and now there was a _child_ in the equation too!

Actually….

" _just cause your loaded doesn't mean you have to support the brat."_

Brittney smirked. If she couldn't have Tamaki, no one could.

* * *

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, she's here on a scholarship, but he's totally rich! So doesn't it make sense that she would get pregnant on purpose for money?"

"True, but she always seemed so nice!"

"I know! I don't know if I can believe that…"

"But there's more! Suoh is the son of the sister school in Japan! She must have used him to get her scholarship too!"

"Oh my god, that makes so much sense!"

Haruhi wasn't sure when or where these rumours had started, but no one was even trying to hide it from her, so she was simply doing her best to pretend it wasn't happening.

How they found out she was pregnant, she had no idea. Haruhi was sure her bump wasn't noticeable under her bulky clothing yet, but everyone seemed so sure of her guiltiness.

The using Tamaki for his money aspect was just as much a kick in the gut, despite being completely false.

It didn't help that people were becoming more and more obvious in their investigation methods.

"So when did you and Tamaki start dating?"

Haruhi shifted uncomfortably, hoping the group of girls surrounding her simply took the hint and left.

"Um, I think eleven months…"

"You think? She doesn't even know exactly" one of the girls said, rolling her eyes.

Haruhi blushed and averted her eyes down to her desk.

It had been much easier to talk to girls when she had been masquerading as a boy. Now the girls regarded as a rival instead of a confidant.

"And how many months pregnant are you?"

"Five" Haruhi said in a small voice.

"Wow, only a few months after you became a couple? You're easy."

Haruhi rested her head in her hand, desperate to escape from the situation and hide her tears. Damn hormones.

 _Just ignore them_ , she told herself. None of them knew anything about her other than the fact she was having a baby with the school chairman's son. It was natural to make assumptions, and nothing she said would sway them, so just _ignore them_.

"Haruhi?"

She looked up, recognising Hikaru's voice.

"Oh, hey guys" she said, trying to sound casual. Their classmates saw their friendship as the 'overprotective big brother kind', and as much as she hated it, it was sure to come in handy now.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" Kaoru asked, seeing right through her façade.

"Yeah, it's nothing" she said, waving them off. No need to make a big deal out of it.

"Oh, we were just asking her some questions" one of the girls said, sidling up to the twins in what was supposed to be a seductive manner.

"Yeah, we're just curious. You know she's pregnant right?"

The twins looks of confusion was mistaken for surprise rather than wondering how their classmates found out.

"With that rich kid Suoh's, no less. Gold digger."

Haruhi sighed.

"Guys, don't" she said, noticing their looks of anger, but they were far too mad to be tamed now.

"What did you say!?" Hikaru snarled, turning on the girl who had spoke. She didn't look worried at all.

"What? It's pretty obvious."

"Maybe they're mad that it's Suoh's kid!" one of the guys at the back of the class piped up. "Slut."

With that comment, the twins rushed forward with twin punches, knocking the guy to the ground.

The classroom descended into chaos as the girls started shrieking and moving out of the way, while some of the guys tried to pull the twins off their friend while others simply watched.

"Guys, stop!" Haruhi shouted, standing up.

The twins ignored her, opting to continue beating the guy who was beginning to fight back.

Haruhi groaned. She was tempted to intervene physically but didn't want to put herself in danger while pregnant.

"I'm going to find a teacher!" one of the girls announced before running from the classroom. Some of her friends followed as the classroom became more and more crowded with the things the boys were throwing.

They returned not five minutes later to Haruhi hopelessly yelling at the twins to stop and the other boys trying to drag them off, to little avail.

"Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, come with me _now_!" their teachers, Miss Peterson shouted.

Finally hearing a voice of authority, the twins stopped, the result of their pummelling now evident all over the victim's body.

"It wasn't our fault! He provoked us!"

"That's a lie!" The boy spat angrily. "They just attacked me! These crazy people should be expelled! Her too!" he pointed at Haruhi, earning him another punch from Hikaru.

"Leave her alone!"

"Hitachiin!" Miss Peterson snapped. "Both of you, with me, now! The rest of you are dismissed!"

* * *

It was the last lesson of the day, so Haruhi found herself waiting outside the school office for the twins. She felt really bad about what had happened and knew the twins had just been trying to protect her.

Within ten minutes, the two boys emerged, both looking a little bruised and perhaps angry, but otherwise alright.

"Are you guys ok? What's happening?" she asked immediately.

"We're suspended for a week" Hikaru said grumpily. Haruhi gasped while Kaoru rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, we had to defend you, Haruhi."

"It does matter!" she protested "this is your education! You can't jeopardise that just because some guy said something about me! A lot of people are going to do that now that it's out in the open, and you can't fight every single one of them!"

The twins exchanged disgruntled looks.

"No, I guess not…" Kaoru said.

"But at least now that we've made an example out of one-" Hikaru continued.

"Others will know that we're protecting you." Kaoru finished.

Haruhi sighed. Those two were incorrigible.

The three classmates walked back to their apartment together, but this time when Haruhi went to unlock her apartment, the twins continued on.

"What are you-"

"We just want to have a little chat with the boss" the two said in unison as they rang Tamaki's doorbell.

Haruhi groaned and moved to stand with them. If they were going to make Tamaki flip out, she had to be there to calm him down.

"Hi Haruhi! What are you two doing here?" Tamaki said, not unkindly, as he opened the door.

"Since you can't keep tabs on your girlfriend all the time, we thought we'd come and fill you in" Hikaru said venomously.

Tamaki frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The three classmates let themselves into the apartment, Tamaki closing the door behind Haruhi after a quick peck on the cheek.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing-"

"The other people at school are picking on Haruhi because of you!" Kaoru interrupted Haruhi.

Tamaki's face whitened.

"I – what? Haruhi?" his voice was full of concern as he turned to Haruhi.

"They found out that I'm pregnant" she said grudgingly "now apparently I'm a gold-digging… slut."

Tamaki gaped, his face turning to one of fury. It was unusual to see him so angry, and Haruhi was taken aback.

"They what? How dare they say such things about my Haruhi!"

"It's _nothing_ , Tamaki. I can handle it, I'm a big girl. I'm sure the news will die down soon enough anyway, and no one will care in a week or two" Haruhi said. "I'm actually more concerned about how they found out about the baby…"

"Yeah, I thought no one outside the host club knew" Hikaru said.

Tamaki gaped in realisation. Oh shit, this was his fault! He should have known the girls here could be far more conniving than he thought.

"Ah, that may be my fault" he confessed. Haruhi looked up at him wide-eyed and betrayed.

"What do you mean?"

"Um, I may have told Brittney…" he told her nervously.

Instantly Haruhi's whole demeanour changed. "You were hanging out with her behind my back?" she snapped, sounding mad and hurt. "Tamaki! I specifically asked you not to hang out with her alone!"

The twins exchanged awkward glances. "Well good luck boss, I think we're going to leave!" the said together before bolting towards the door and leaving.

The two stood in silence as the twins left, Haruhi glaring and Tamaki almost cowering in fear of his upset and hormonal girlfriend.

"I'm sorry Haruhi!" he wailed. "I know it was stupid, but I misjudged her intentions!"

"How did it even come up? Why were you with her?" Haruhi didn't sound angry anymore, simply upset. "I don't have to worry about you, do I?"

Tamaki looked horrified.

"N-No! Of course not, I love you and only you! I-I'm so sorry!"

When Haruhi didn't reply, Tamaki felt obliged to explain himself.

"Look, we were supposed to be doing our group work, but the other members of our group couldn't make it, so it ended up being just me and Brittney at the last minute. I didn't know we would be alone. Then…"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Tamaki gulped. "Um… well, she asked me out… on a date. I turned her down!" he added quickly. "I turned her down, but then she was asking why and started, well insulting our relationship, and I couldn't have that, so I told her… about the baby" he trailed off as he realised the idiocy of what he had done. "It was stupid." He ended quietly.

Haruhi sighed. She was silent for a few seconds, trying to contain her anger.

"Well… what's done is done."

"I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. I know."

Tamaki frowned, feeling awfully guilty. It was his fault that their secret was out and that his girlfriend was now being bullied for _his_ mistake.

He stepped forward, and hoping he wouldn't be pushed away, wrapped his arms around Haruhi's small frame. He rested his chin on her head and waited patiently until she eventually returned the hug.

"I'm really sorry… I'll be sure to say something to the students about being rude to you…"

Haruhi shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's not like I didn't expect this, the students were always going to find out. It's only natural that they assume I have an ulterior motive… but it doesn't matter what they think, you and the baby are far more important to me."

Tamaki smiled into her hair and held her tighter, his actions expressing what words couldn't.

* * *

 **Sorry that this chapter was late, I didn't have my laptop available for the last few days. Unfortunately that means this chapter isn't 100% proof-read, so let me know if there are any mistakes and I'll correct is ASAP.**

 **This chapter was originally longer, but I pushed some things back until the next chapter… I might have to shuffle some things around because of that otherwise the next chapter will be way too.. busy. Either way, it'll be eventful!**

 ***So, I don't actually know when Tamaki and Haruhi started dating but I'm guessing based on reviewer krys2007's maths aha. Thank you for that xx**

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Lemon fabric – thanks for reviewing practically every chapter, it really keeps my spirits up! I hope I won't disappoint you when these reactions are revealed! Enjoy your week too!**

 **Yaly.97cello – of course, I love my readers, they're what keep my motivation going! Especially the reviewers aha, love you too girl! I'm glad you were happy with Mr Suoh's reaction, I tried to keep it sympathetic since he'd been in a similar situation but also had to keep it in character, which is hard cause we don't see much of him onscreen in the anime and manga. Don't worry, I promise no spoilers, just wanted to let you know where I was heading with this fic, and besides that was a rough outline which has already been shifted a little lmao. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others.**

 **MommaDiamond – so glad you're still liking this aha, and yeah some characters are hard to write, unfortunately for me that includes Tamaki and Haruhi's grand/parents. I was very divided about Tamaki's grandmother, especially with what happens in the manga and some readers having only watched the anime (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it!) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Krys2007 – be as selfish as you like, it feeds my motivation lol. Yeah, I wasn't sure about the teacher thing, hope people didn't think I was being racist, just wanted to make a point that she wouldn't be very helpful or sympathetic to Haruhi. As for the sex of the baby, I'm not saying a thing, and honestly that's one of those things knowing me I would end up changing my mind about several times so even I'm not sure about it haha. And YES, I am so glad someone noticed that, I wrote it after rereading that very line in the manga so it would have sounded similar. As always, love the long reviews, please continue to do so aha.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Quick shoutout to krys2007 for giving me the right timeline for how long Tamaki and Haruhi have been dating! I went back and changed it, thank you so much!**

* * *

 _Riiiing!_

 _Riiiing!_

Tamaki blinked back sleep as he slowly rose from his slumber. He groaned as he glanced at the clock, seeing that it was far too early for anyone except someone in Japan to be calling.

He sat up slowly in bed, careful not to jostle Haruhi as he moved her head off his chest. He leant over her and reached for his phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice thick with sleep.

"Tamaki, it's your father."

Tamaki suppressed a groan. He knew his father would only be calling him because it meant he had told his grandmother about his upcoming parenthood.

"Morning, father."

"Good morning Tamaki. I apologise if I woke you." Yuzuru replied.

"No, no, I should have been waking up soon anyway" the blonde teenager lied.

There was a beat of tension filled silence where Tamaki just waited for Yuzuru to get it over with. He knew his grandmother would not be pleased and was simply waiting for hear his punishment. He had no idea what to expect, and the only thing he was sure of was that if his grandmother were to demand he leave Haruhi, it was the Suoh family he would leave behind.

"What did grandmother say?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

Yuzuru sighed. "You really know how to start a conversation, don't you Tamaki?"

"Just tell me what she said" his son said impatiently. It registered with Tamaki that he was perhaps being a little too rude, but it was his future on the line. If he was being disowned, he'd like as much notice as possible.

"Your grandmother is… understandably displeased. She wants me to pass on the message that she thought you were smarter than that and is disappointed in you." No surprise there.

"What does she want?"

"I don't know."

"Father…" Tamaki didn't want his father keeping any secrets from him just because he wanted to keep him safe. He wanted the truth.

"I'm being honest Tamaki. All she said was she was disappointed and that she may reconsider your inheritance of the company. But she said she doesn't want to make any permanent decisions until you return to Japan."

Tamaki frowned. "I won't be returning until after the baby is born. Haruhi will be too far along to fly home at our original planned time." He explained. They had been planning to return to Japan as soon as the school year ended, but by then Haruhi would be nearing her due date and would have to stay in America until she gave birth due to the danger of flying so late in pregnancy.

"Exactly. She doesn't want to put any pressure on you or Haruhi during the pregnancy." Tamaki frowned. That seemed wildly out of character for his grandmother, though he wasn't sure if he appreciated this or not. It might have been better to have a reliable plan upon returning to Japan.

Though, he thought, it was only him who would be affected by this decision. Haruhi would return to living at home with her father and the baby, so nothing would change in that respect. It was only him who would be endangered by this.

Except… money. Tamaki had often wondered about the lives of commoners, but he wasn't keen to experience life as one at such a vulnerable point I his life. He relied on his position as a Suoh for practically everything, including money. Without that status, he had nothing and would not be able to support Haruhi or their child.

"Father, doesn't that seem a little too… risky? I want Haruhi and I to have a secure future when we get home."

"Don't fret too much Tamaki. I am the official head of the family, and I promise you'll have access to your inheritance and be able to support your family. I can promise you that much."

Tamaki frowned. It wasn't a lot, but at least he wouldn't be out on the street.

"Alright" he conceded. "I'll talk to grandmother when I get home."

He hung up the phone soon after, with nothing more to be said and slipped back into the bed.

He turned his head and reached out to hug a sleeping Haruhi.

She was so small, almost doll-like in sleep, like she didn't have a single problem in the world. Tamaki hated to think how much he had altered her life.

She'd had her interview with his father and the rest of the school staff a few days ago and just the thought had rendered her nearly catatonic. Tamaki had insisted that he be present during the phone-call and had ensured that his girlfriend was treated with nothing less than respect.

The school board had agreed that the couple would be allowed to continue their education, and that Haruhi would be able to leave when she (or Tamaki – he had insisted that he be able to make some decisions for her on behalf of his child because he knew the stubborn girl would push herself to the limit) deemed it necessary.

If the child was to be born early, they would let Haruhi take catch up exams a month after giving birth, and upon their return to Japan, Yuzuru had agreed that Haruhi would be allowed some 'recovery' time off school after birth if needed before starting her third year of Ouran. Not much else was to change, and it seemed the meeting had been mostly a formal event, but Tamaki was well-aware of how much this meant to Haruhi, especially to her dream of becoming a lawyer.

He didn't want to ruin anything else for her, and certainly didn't want her stressing out over his issues.

* * *

Two weeks after the aforementioned school board meeting the couple found themselves in the familiar doctor's room for Haruhi's six-month check-up.

Tamaki was practically bouncing around the walls in excitement.

He had really struggled to contain his enthusiasm at school all day, so as soon as he found Haruhi at home he'd dragged her off to the clinic.

"Everything seems to be alright, just make sure you pace yourself and don't partake in any strenuous activities for the rest of your pregnancy. Do you need a note to get you out of P.E/gym class?"

Haruhi shook her head "no, I elected out of that class."

"Excellent. However, you should still be getting an adequate amount of exercise. This can be achieved by something as simple as walking around the block for a day, just enough to keep you in shape."

"I'm not feeling much in shape at all anymore" Haruhi said with a sigh. She was far from vain, famous for not caring about her appearance, but this was certainly the most insecure she had ever felt about her body.

Pregnancy had caused her stomach to swell considerably now that she was sixth months along, and it was now completely obvious that she was carrying another person inside of her.

"Don't be ridiculous Haruhi, you look beautiful!" Tamaki exclaimed in true host fashion, swooping down to give her a quick kiss.

"Now, Miss Fujioka, now that you are about to enter your third trimester, we have to do another ultrasound as it will be easier to identify any issues now that the baby is bigger." Haruhi nodded, moving onto the bed, knowing the procedure. "We should be able to discern the sex now too. Have you two given any thought to whether you'd like to know, or will that be a surprise?"

Haruhi turned to Tamaki, silently asking for his opinion. She didn't mind either way, though finding out would be more useful when shopping for baby things.

Tamaki grinned widely. "I'd like to know please, I simply can't stand not knowing any longer!"

Haruhi smiled. Typical.

The doctor chuckled. "Of course. Would you like to know too, Miss Fujioka?"

"Yes, it's not as though Tamaki would be able to hide it from me anyway" she replied cheekily.

"Hey!" Tamaki protested, feigning hurt. Honestly, he knew she was right, there was no way he could keep a secret like that.

As the doctor began to spread the cold, slimy substance over Haruhi's belly, Tamaki moved to stand next to her, holding her hand in his.

As the doctor moved the tool around her belly, Haruhi's womb became visible on the screen beside them.

Haruhi and Tamaki never tired of seeing the tiny figure on the screen that was their unborn baby. They were so precious and watching them grow stage by stage was remarkable.

"Can you tell?" Tamaki asked anxiously. Haruhi squeezed his hand in attempt to reassure him.

"Hmmm" the doctor squinted at the screen and was silent momentarily before answering Tamaki. "Yes. Congratulations. It looks like you're having a baby girl!"

Tamaki couldn't control the elated expression plastered across his face. "A… a girl! Haruhi, we're having a baby girl!" he leant down to plant a short kiss on her lips, which Haruhi protested, embarrassed of being in front of the doctor.

"Yes, I heard Tamaki" she said, despite smiling.

Deep down, she was also screaming. She didn't realise it until she heard otherwise, but it just occurred to her that she had been hoping for a boy.

It wasn't that she would love her daughter any less, but Haruhi had no idea how to raise a girl. She herself never acted girly at all, so much so that she even posed as a boy for her entire first year of high school. Would her lack of feminine qualities affect her ability to raise a girl?

"Haruhi?"

She looked up to see Tamaki's worried face.

"Sorry, what?"

"We've got to go now. Are you alright? You're not feeling lightheaded, are you?"

Haruhi shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm fine. I'm great!"

Tamaki grinned. "Great! Let's go home!"

"I'm so excited, to think we'll have our own little princess soon! My two girls!" he exclaimed, wrapping both his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Yeah…"

How on earth was she going to raise a little girl? She was hardly a woman herself, no one at school knew that until a few months ago!

Hiding her panic, Haruhi simply let Tamaki calm her by rambling on about his fantasy world of her and their daughter, forgetting about all the troubles they had yet to endure.

* * *

After a long day of school sitting next to Tamaki, all Kyoya wanted to do was go home and take a nice long nap. The blonde idiot had spent the whole day rambling away happily about his and Haruhi's unborn baby (in Japanese of course, to avoid any other students overhearing and adding to the rumour mill), resulting in Kyoya suffering from a relentless headache.

Unfortunately, as soon as he stepped foot in his apartment, his cell phone started ringing.

Kyoya was fully ready to hang up the phone without a second glance, but seeing who the caller was, decided it would probably be wiser to answer instead.

"Ah, hello Ranka. How are you?"

From the other line, the crossdressers bubbly voice practically sung over the lines with false happiness.

'Oh, I'm doing fine, just splendid my dear Kyoya! However, I haven't heard from Haruhi in quite some time now, and since she hasn't been returning any of my calls I thought I'd check with you to make sure she's alright!"

Kyoya flashed his fake smile to no one as he tried to get into the character of Haruhi's acting guardian. "Haruhi is quite alright, though I'm not sure why you haven't been able to get in touch with her. Have you tried calling Tamaki, he'd know more than me-"

"I am perfectly aware of their situation Kyoya, however that does not mean I would willingly call that insect of my own accord."

The rage of speaking about Tamaki was seeping into Ranka's voice and Kyoya thought it was best to avoid the topic. Ranka had never liked Tamaki enough to consider him as his daughter friend, so it was inevitable he didn't approve of him being the father of his grandchild.

"Well to my knowledge, Haruhi hasn't changed her phone number or anything of the sort, so I can only imagine your phone calls are simply ill-timed. She is quite busy at the moment, as you can imagine, with school, homework and appointments – oh, and I can assure you that I've had the finest Ootori branch looking after her, so don't worry."

It was always good to work in a little advertising to win brownie points with Ranka.

"Doctors' appointments? But - I asked you how-"

"They're going quite well, Haruhi is perfectly well cared for by our staff and Tamaki is being surprisingly capable as well. If you haven't been able to get in touch with her, I know that she had an appointment today and were doing an ultrasound, and she and the baby are quite healthy."

Silence.

Kyoya frowned. He hadn't spoken to Haruhi about the situation with her father and it was now dawning on him that perhaps Ranka hadn't been pleased or supportive of her pregnancy. He had assumed Ranka being the person he was would help her.

"Well… if that's all I must be going now, I have studies also… I'll tell Haruhi to call you soon… Good night!"

On the other side of the world, Ranka was staring down at his hung-up phone in absolute shock. He must have heard that wrong. Right?

Kyoya couldn't have said baby… but he had said ultrasound… but what would Haruhi need an ultrasound for… Why…. Baby… ?

Ranka slammed down his phone to run his fingers through his hair. This was no time to overreact. He must have heard Kyoya wrong… Haruhi was such a smart, innocent girl, she'd never do… something like that, let alone with that insect, let alone without protection…

She'd worked so hard for everything in her school career, there was no way she'd make such a silly mistake to mess it up, she was smarter than that… right?

Ranka groaned and bent over the kitchen island counter in defeat. Haruhi hadn't called him in weeks. She was clearly hiding _something_ from him, and it was time he got some answers.

* * *

 **I totally forgot this was the next chapter, if I did I would have hyped it up way more. I hope you liked it, I gave you two reveals in one chapter – well, maybe more like one and a half lol. What did you think?**

 **So some of you might think this was a little OOC for Kyoya, and I apologise for that, but it was the only way I could think of to make Ranka find out by accident, since he's the only host he's in contact with (including Haruhi since she's kinda ignoring him). My explanation for this is that he was tired and angry about Tamaki bugging him all day, and ended up assuming that Tamaki and Haruhi had told Ranka. Maybe he thought Ranka was calling because he was involved in the medical field and wanted an honest update on Haruhi's health.**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Since you all seemed to get the same idea, I'm gonna clear this up now: Brittney is NOT a yandere! I designed her to be a Regina George kind of character, just a typical mean girl, so maybe I need to go back and rephrase some of her lines. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **Lemon fabric – ah no! At least everythings all better now. I hope this chapter gave you extra emotions, let me know!**

 **Animefreak112097 – whoaaaa, a bit extreme there haha, but don't worry I have a plan for Brittney!**

 **Yaly.97cello – did this chapter make you drown in the tea? I hope so, I took forever to write this – oh and now you have your answer haha**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – thank you so much, I hope you think this chapter is just as good! Please continue to review, lemme know what you think!**

 **MommaDimaond – Yes, Tamaki isn't the smartest tool in the shed. He's way too trusting of people and severely underestimated her. I totally agree about the yandere thing, I promise this isn't going to suddenly turn into a dark fic!**

 **Krys2007 – thanks so much for your help! And you actually gave me another idea haha so cheers for that too! I hope you liked this chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

Even though Haruhi had wanted to go straight back to the apartment and take a nice long nap to recovery from the day's shock, Tamaki had instead decided that the revelation that was their daughter called for a treat and had dragged her out for an afternoon full of pink-themed fun.

Fortunately, she had eventually been able to convince him of her tiredness and the two headed back to their apartment not long before dusk.

"Haruhi, is that your phone?" as soon as Tamaki unlocked the front door, he could hear a loud buzzing from inside the apartment.

"Oh yeah…" she said, moving to pick it up.

"Why did you leave your phone here?"

"I just don't think about…" she trailed off as she unlocked her phone. "Uh…"

"What is it?" Tamaki asked casually, tossing his jacket over the coat rack. He looked over her shoulder and gaped.

Her recents was completely full of calls from her father about every five minutes from the last couple of hours.

"Um, I think I'm going to have to call him back… I haven't spoken to him in ages."

"Do you think… he knows?" Tamaki asked worriedly.

Haruhi frowned, biting her lip. She didn't know how Ranka could have found out, but she had no idea why else he would be calling her so incessantly. "Maybe he's just worried that I haven't spoken to him in a while…"

Practically shaking in nerves, Haruhi hit the call back button.

The ringer didn't even go twice before Ranka answered the phone.

"Haruhi?"

"Hi dad" she said a little shakily "can I ask what the 58 phone calls are for?"

"Oh, you don't know?" For once Haruhi's father didn't sound like the happy crossdresser Ranka, but the angry father, Ryoji.

"…. Uh no…" Haruhi said, deciding to play dumb. It would be worse if she said something only to find out he was angry about something else.

"I got an interesting call from Kyoya. He gave me the impression you were hiding something from me."

Kyoya said something?

"I don't…"

"Haruhi. Are you…" Ranka swallowed, praying it was false "are you pregnant?"

Haruhi froze.

"... I'm really sorry dad."

Hearing Haruhi's voice trembling so badly, Tamaki quickly wrapped an arm around her in a one-sided hug, desperately trying to comfort her.

"It's that insects, isn't it?" Ranka was practically seething.

"Yeah, of course it's Tamaki's ... I know-I know you don't like him, but he's been really helpful and-"

"Well of course he has!" Ranka exploded. "He's stuck in another country with you! As soon as you get back he'll probably run away with his tail between his legs! In fact, I hope he does, I don't want him anywhere near my daughter!"

Haruhi practically whimpered and buried her head in Tamaki's side, who began rubbing circles into her back. He couldn't hear what Ranka was saying, but clearly some hurtful things were being said.

Tamaki was tempted to snatch the phone away and scold Ranka about making his girlfriend cry, but he knew they were technically in the wrong and that would only make everything worse.

"T-Tamaki wouldn't do that, I love him."

Ranka laughed viciously. "Right, of course you do!"

Haruhi gulped at the sarcasm. Her father never acted like this and she didn't know how to respond.

"How far along are you?"

Haruhi bit her lip. Here came the hard part. She knew the fact she'd been concealing the pregnancy for so long would be a problem.

"Six months" she said in a tiny voice.

Ranka was silent for a few moments, needed to process the information.

"You've been hiding this from me for six months?" His voice wasn't as angry anymore - he seemed more hurt than mad.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Haruhi finally let go and started sobbing, prompting Tamaki to gently lead her towards the couch and sat her down in his lap. As she cried, Ranka was silent as Tamaki stroked her hair and rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

"Haruhi? Please stop crying, I want to talk to you." Ranka said in a more normal-sounding voice, simply trying to calm her.

"O-okay."

"If you're that far along we need to start making arrangements, okay? You must've thought about this. What are you going to do once the - once you've given birth." Ranka winced as he avoided the word 'baby'. His daughter _was_ a baby, there was no way she should be having one of her own.

"I wanted to try and keep things as normal as possible. I planned to bring the baby back and finish school." Haruhi exhaled deeply from the effort of trying not to cry.

"Haruhi, a b... You can't just go to school and pretend like nothing's happened. You can't just leave... It at home while you go to school, children aren't like cats. You'd need to organise babysitting, which _you'll_ be paying for-"

"Tamaki would be looking after her during the day. He graduates in June."

Ranka sighed. "Right... I suppose that idiot is good for something. I expect you'll be relying on him for food and diapers, etc?"

"Um yeah." Haruhi hated relying on other people, but Tamaki had pointed out that it was his child too and therefore his responsibility.

"Okay good, because I'm not paying for a thing, Haruhi. Do you hear me?"

"Yes."

"You have to pay the price for your own mistakes. You only have a roof over your head because I still love you."

Haruhi gulped. "I understand. Thank you, dad."

Ranka sighed. "Alright... When is your due date?"

"The 20th of August. I'll still be in Boston."

"What? Haruhi! You can't just... I want you to come home right now!" Ranka snapped.

"What?" Haruhi was confused. "I can't fly anymore, it's not safe."

"Well then I'm going to Boston!"

"Dad, we can't afford for you-"

"Yeah well we can't afford a baby either but that didn't stop you." The insult took Haruhi by surprise and she felt tears welling up in her eyes again.

Ranka seemed to realise the harshness of his words and immediately went to retract them.

"Haruhi? I'm sorry, okay. I'm just very emotional right now. I'm angry, I'm disappointed and most of all, I'm worried. I don't want you to be alone when you give birth, in a foreign country no less."

"I understand…"

Ranka sighed. "Here's what I'll do; I'm going to save up some money and then I'm going to spend it trying to make the apartment baby-appropriate. I'll buy a crib and some other furniture to put in your room - the insect can pay me back for that later - and then I'm going to try and get flights to Boston."

"Thank you. But I don't want you to waste your money - I promise, I'll come home as soon as soon as the baby is born." Haruhi assured him.

Ranka sighed. "Alright. Alright. Haruhi… I'm really disappointed… but I love you and if you need anything, I'll be there in an instant" he promised.

Haruhi nodded before realising Ranka couldn't see and simply said "yes. Thank you."

"Right. Is the insect there?"

Haruhi looked towards Tamaki, silently asking him if she should tell the truth or not. Tamaki got the idea and nodded.

"Yeah, he's right here. Did you want to talk to him?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I love you, bye" as Ranka bid her goodbye, Haruhi handed Tamaki the phone and started wiping at her eyes, her emotions running high after the shock call.

Tamaki was beyond nervous when he took the phone. "Uh… hi Ranka…"

"Do you remember the last thing I said you, insect?" Ranka snarled. Tamaki resisted the urge to whimper from fear.

" _Do not lay a single finger on my daughter_! That's what I told you! And what did you do?! You got her pregnant!"

Tamaki swallowed. "I'm very sorry sir." He hated to apologise for the existence of his baby, having already developed a solid bond with her, but understood the ramifications his actions had on his girlfriend and her family.

"You're _sorry_?"

"Yes. I'm really sorry about making these changes to Haruhi's life."

"As you should be!" Ranka shouted. "Do you have any idea about the impact this going to make in her life! She had a bright future ahead of her!"

"And she still does" Tamaki said "Haruhi has worked so hard for her dream of becoming a lawyer, but there's no reason she can't be a mother too. I intend to support and help her every step of the way."

"Oh, you will. I've already told Haruhi that I won't be paying for anything, so that's your responsibility."

"Of course," Tamaki said, trying not to think about his situation with his grandmother. "I want to provide for my child."

"Even if you and Haruhi are to break up?"

Tamaki frowned. "I love them both, I would never abandon them."

Ranka made a 'hmph' noise but seemed to believe Tamaki.

"If you're going to stick around Suoh, then you better be the best damned husband and father in the world."

Tamaki felt a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'm going to give my all to Haruhi and raising our baby."

Ranka sighed. "Well, I don't think there's anything left to say then. I can't beat you up while I'm stuck here and you're in America, so I guess we're done here."

Tamaki gulped. "Yes sir."

"Take care of her. Can you pass the phone back to Haruhi?"

Tamaki practically threw the phone back to Haruhi, extremely uncomfortable with the conversation.

Haruhi wiped her eyes again, having been struggling with tears on and off again throughout Tamaki's conversation.

"Hey dad" she said, her voice a little wobbly.

"Are you okay darling?" Ranka asked in a soft voice. "I hope I didn't upset you too much. I'm just shocked is all."

Haruhi nodded. "I'm okay."

"Just because I want you and Suoh to take responsibility for your actions doesn't mean I don't love you … and I'll love the baby too. I just want you to stay healthy and get home safe with my grandchild, okay?"

Haruhi leant into Tamaki, trying not to cry. "I will… and, um, it's a girl" she said in a small voice.

Ranka smiled softly. "My two girls, huh?"

"Do… do you think mum would be disappointed in me?"

Ranka inhaled sharply. He had no idea how to respond to that. Logically, he knew that yes, Kotoko would likely be disappointed in their daughter. But he also knew that she'd loved Haruhi unconditionally, and that was what Haruhi needed to hear right now.

"Your mother would be worried about you, but so proud of you for accomplishing everything you have and everything you will accomplish in spite of this. She loved you more than you could ever understand – or maybe you could, now that you're having your own daughter…"

Haruhi let out a strangled laugh, not knowing how to react. "Do… do you think she'd be okay if I named the baby after her?"

Tamaki looked down at her in surprise. He hadn't known she'd been thinking about naming the baby after her mother.

Ranka quickly got choked up, tears springing to his eyes and his throat tightening. "She'd love that, Haruhi. Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you too… I have to go now darling, I have work soon."

"Bye dad."

When she hung up, Haruhi looked straight to Tamaki.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Mhmm" she nodded, turning her face into his chest. Feeling her shudder against him from the force of trying not to cry, Tamaki wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hey, shhh, calm down… that wasn't too bad, right?"

"N-no, I guess not… my emotions and hormones are going a bit haywire after that is all…"

Tamaki nodded. "It's all going to be okay now…" he couldn't hold her any closer to him, thanks to her baby bump, so he settled for stroking her hair.

There were a few minutes of silence during which Tamaki simply held Haruhi while she tried to regain her composure.

"So, you want to name the baby after your mother?"

"Are you okay with that?" Haruhi asked, wide-eyed. She had completely forgotten that Tamaki had been there when she told her dad that. She hadn't even realised she'd been thinking about a name before she spoke about her mother.

Tamaki smiled. "Of course, I'm okay with that… but I was hoping we could integrate my French background as well."

"Did you want to give the baby two names, or a middle name?" Haruhi asked. Japanese people didn't usually have middle names, but she wasn't opposed to accommodating Tamaki's background. Sometimes it was just hard to remember that he grew up in the west because of his love of Japanese culture.

"Yeah, maybe. We have plenty of time to figure this out right?" Tamaki gave her a quick kiss, despite knowing they really didn't have all that much time.

* * *

When Tamaki woke up, it was late at night and Haruhi was fast asleep on top of him.

He supposed it couldn't be healthy for a pregnant woman to spend the whole night sleeping on a couch, so he gently picked her up so as to not wake her up. He had to admit, but she was heavier than she had been the last time he carried her, so it took him a little longer to reach the bedroom, but he wouldn't complain. She was heavier because she was carrying his child, and that was the most beautiful thing to Tamaki.

As he tucked her into bed, he quickly kissed her forehead and made his way back out to the living room. On the coffee table sat his phone, alight with a message.

Opening his messages he saw it was from Kyoya.

 _Ranka called me earlier and I think I accidentally gave you and Haruhi away. I expect he'll be calling you too soon. I'm truly sorry and I'll find a way to make it up to you. -KO_

Tamaki sighed, not understanding how Kyoya could make such a mistake. Oh well, there was no fixing it now.

 _It's fine, all worked out in the end. I guess you kind of did us a favour. -Tamaki_

He shut off his phone and made his way back to the bedroom. It was late, and he had school in the morning.

* * *

 **Once again, I had to chop a chapter in half, so I'm sorry if this is shorter than usually – originally it was twice as long, but it was kind of in two parts which were completely unrelated and the second part had a much lighter tone which didn't exactly fit into this chapter. Don't worry, you'll still get to see the second part, it was a last minute idea but I really like it, and that'll be in the next chapter!**

 **What did you guys think about the reveal? I hope Ranka was in character, it was so hard writing him angry – remember, he's only just found out, so he's going to be harsh. I completely believe that he'll mellow** **out with time and be easier on Tamaki and Haruhi.**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **As usually, thank you so much for reviewing, I always love hearing from you guys and I'm so happy to see some new people reviewing! Make sure to follow the story if you haven't already!**

 **Animefreak112097 – that was exactly my thinking! I hope you think Ranka's reaction was life-like, at least for an initial reaction.**

 **Ookami28 – Oooh I didn't see that, thank you, I went back and changed the dates so I hope they're accurate-ish lol. Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it and I hope this chapter was satisfactory!**

 **DaughterOfLoki1 – lmao pretty much, now I really want to incorporate that into the story… no killing Tamaki tho haha**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – I'm so happy you like this, and remember I update every Friday/Saturday!**

 **MommaDiamond – I'm glad you think that was realistic, I was rereading it and just cringed. I tried to think of other ways for him to find out by accident, but I was pressed for time so just added a few points here and there to try and make it believable haha.**

 **Krys2007 – Yes, Kyoya is very tricky, but in this case he fucked up lol. And that was exactly my thinking, the baby will have plenty of feminine influence and I can't wait to write it! And really good observation with Ranka, I'm a little iffy. I do think he dislikes Tamaki, but is willing to accept him if his daughter loves him (Ranka's just a lil in denial about Haruhi loving him). Thanks so much for your kindness and hope you enjoyed the reveal!**

 **DanniMaeAnime92 – so happy to see a new reviewer, I'm so happy that you're so into this! I update every Friday/Saturday so hopefully that's often enough to satisfy your craving haha.**

 **Yaly.97cello – I cannot wait to write Tamaki as a father, it's going to be so fun to explore! And I'm happy so long as you enjoy the tea lmao, I hope the reveal lived up to your standards haha. Congrats on getting into your sorority! And I only actively use Instagram but I don't have a fandom account, just my personal and there's nothing interesting there haha. But good idea, I might set up some kind of social media for my fanfics, probably Insta or Twitter? Depends if enough people were interested in my life lol. Feel free to PM me at any time though!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Just to clear up any confusion, this chapter is set in the last week of May, meaning Haruhi is 26 weeks (6 months) pregnant!**

 **Edit: I'm soooo sorry for the mistake in my previous upload, I accidentally left in my old notes halfway through the story! I'm really embarrassed aha, hope it didn't distract from the story too much. I've re-read this and corrected all the mistakes, please let me know about any others you see! And for those of you who did see, Reine was the original name of the baby before I decided to change it to Kotoko, so a bit of interesting trivia there!**

* * *

Six months ago, a full day of classes plus grocery shopping was a regular part of her routine that she didn't even have to think about, but now Haruhi found herself completely exhausted by them.

Though her apartment was within walking distance to her school, the simple activity of going to and from school was becoming difficult in her slow, pregnant body, and Haruhi found herself waking up earlier to account for the extra time it took for her to get to school. In addition, when she did get there, the other students saw her as an even lesser person that a regular commoner because of her giveaway belly and had to endure the whispers of others, some of which she didn't fully understand.

Of course, Tamaki was there for her every minute that wasn't spent in class, but her condition was still lonely. No one looked at Tamaki and immediately saw a teen dad, but people looked at her and judged her based on her obvious mistake rather than her hard effort in class.

It was enough to make her break down by the end of the day, which is why she found herself being comforted by Tamaki outside the school, delaying her schedule of shopping even further.

Now that she had finally waddled her way home, she was fully prepared to switch out homework for a quick nap.

Unfortunately, someone else had another plan.

When she opened up the front door, her eyes were assaulted by a sea of pink, in the shape of balloons, streamers and even confetti.

"T-Tamaki! What are you doing?!" she spluttered, wiping confetti out of her face.

The blonde sheepishly lowered the confetti gun and smiled guiltily. "Surprise!" he said, suddenly being joined by the rest of the host club.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan, do you like our decorations?" Honey senpai asked excitedly, beaming up at her.

"Um, yeah."

"We've been decorating all afternoon" Hikaru told her happily.

It certainly looked like it.

Pink balloons covered the entire front room, the helium ones completely obscuring the ceiling. In the centre of the room there was a white banner with the words 'IT'S A GIRL!' coloured in bright pink. Everything Haruhi owned had been replaced by pink counterparts, including the picture frames and silverware. Even her furniture had been covered in some pink tarp-like object.

"What is all this?" she asked bluntly, moving to set down the groceries in the kitchen.

"It's your baby shower" Kaoru explained.

"We knew you haven't exactly had an easy time, so we wanted to organise something fun for you." Hikaru added.

"Especially with the exams coming up and all the studying you've been doing." Honey said.

Haruhi couldn't help but smile. The guys annoyed her to no end sometimes, but they really were amazing friends. "Oh… thank you guys, I really appreciate it."

"It was no trouble." Kyoya said, his tone contradicting his words. Haruhi still smiled at him.

"Hey, we've got a bone to pick with you, Miss scholarship student!" Hikaru announced loudly.

"Why didn't you tell any of us you knew it was a girl?" Kaoru asked, finishing his twins sentence.

Haruhi shrugged. "I didn't know you cared."

"Haruhi!" Hikaru sounded disgusted. "Of course we need to know these things – otherwise we wouldn't have known what kind of clothes or toys to get!"

"You could've gotten either, I don't care" Haruhi said, once again demonstrating her complete lack of gender role understanding.

The twins sighed in unison.

"Wait, you bought clothes and toys?" Haruhi asked, back peddling a little as she realised what they had said.

"Well of course" Kyoya said, "gift giving is a common occurrence at these types of events."

"It's like the baby's pre-birthday!" Honey said happily, Mori following up with an agreeing "Mmm."

"Oh… guys thanks, but I don't really want any pity-presents" Haruhi said uncomfortably. She'd never cared much about the class divide between her and her friends, but she did find it a little embarrassing they thought she couldn't provide for her baby (even if it was somewhat true that she could use the help).

"Don't be stupid, we wanted to do this!" Hikaru interrupted happily.

"We wanted to get the baby amazing gifts as her future uncles." Kaoru said.

"It was really fun!" Honey added.

"Quite." Kyoya said with only a minor eye-roll.

"Here, come sit down and we'll open up the presents!" Tamaki said excitedly, grabbing Haruhi's hand and leading her to the couch.

The host club sat around the coffee table watching Tamaki and Haruhi open up their presents.

All in all, if Haruhi had to describe the experience in one word, it would be 'surreal'. Actually seeing the tiny pieces of clothing freaked her out – how could she be responsible for something so small and helpless? – and the toys and other presents made everything even more real.

Surrounded by the clutter of clothes, toys, books and other baby essentials made it feel like they already had a baby.

The twins had given her a ridiculous amount of Hitachiin original outfits, varying from newborn sizes to dresses designed for kindergarteners. "You guys know she won't fit into these for ages right?" she asked before being shot down with excuses ("but she'll be so cute when she does!" "Don't you want her to look fabulous, Haruhi?")

Kyoya had bought them a couple more books designed for parenting infants and toddlers – some of which were slightly insulting as they hinted at tips for incompetent fathers or dealing with difficult children. Nevertheless, they were appreciated.

Honey had gifted them with a variety of different recipes for treats suitable for babies and young children, as well as a whole fleet of stuffed toys and teddy bears, which were now lined up along the window sill, making their apartment look appropriate for a small family.

Mori senpai had bought them one impossibly fluffy pink teddy bear and some educational toys, as well as some plastic toys for infants, such as rattles and large keys.

"Thank you guys so much!" Tamaki exclaimed happily. As soon as they sat down for gifts, the blonde had been rambling on about everything related to the baby and the specific gifts. It was tiresome, but Haruhi was comforted by the knowledge he would be an enthusiastic father.

"We didn't do it for you" Hikaru said, mock-sneering at him.

"Yeah, we did it for our niece!"

Haruhi didn't know when the twins decided they were going to be called uncles, but the other hosts seemed to be agreeing with them. She'd never had many family, especially after he mother died, and she supposed she had been somewhat of a lonely child. She knew Tamaki had been the same way, so Haruhi believed it was a good thing her daughter would grow up with so much love.

Before the conversation could descend into a fight, Haruhi cut across her boyfriend by thanking the other hosts on their behalf. "This will be really helpful, thank you."

She did feel a little guilty for accepting probably ridiculously overpriced presents from her friends, but in the end she supposed they were right, and the gifts were for the baby, who deserved far more than what her mother could give her.

She knew that in a few years she would have to talk to her friends about toning down on the gifts, but for now she supposed it was okay to spoil the baby for now.

* * *

"Tamaki! Tamaki, wait up!"

Recognising that voice as he walked through the school halls made Tamaki seize up, but still he stopped. He was a gentleman after all, no matter what kind of lady he was conversing with.

He turned around unwillingly as the footsteps approached him. "Hello Brittney."

Ever since the disaster that resulted from him telling her about the pregnancy, he had avoided the girl like the plague, opting to do his group work digitally and speaking through the other two boys. This method had proven to be pretty effective as they'd had no interaction in nearly a month.

The blonde girl smiled up at him shyly, her hands occupied with a plastic container. "So, um, I just wanted to apologise for what happened. I know that was out of line" she said nervously.

Tamaki nodded. "You're right, it was."

The girl flushed bright red but proceeded. "Yeah… look, I don't expect you to forgive me. I said some awful things about… your girlfriend-"

"Haruhi" Tamaki supplied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but she didn't deserve that. Neither did you. So, um. Yeah, I'm really sorry."

Tamaki smiled.

"It's okay. You apologised and that's what matters."

Brittney giggled. "God, you even sound like a dad"

It was Tamaki's turn to blush now, turning tomato red and being referred to in such a manner. _I really should get used to it, I'm was going to be one soon_ , he thought.

"I suppose you're good practice for dealing with teenage girls in the future then" he chuckled.

"Oh, it's a girl?" she asked, sounding genuinely interested. Tamaki nodded proudly. "Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be a great dad."

Again Tamaki blushed, and tried to change the conversation.

"Uh, what's that you're holding?"

Brittney glanced down to the box in her hands. "Oh, this? They're brownies. I was going to go to my friends party tonight and bring these, but I have a ton of homework to do, so I'm going to have to stay at home." Her face brightened up. "Hey, do you want to take them instead? It can be my little apology gift!"

'Oh, um no, its fine-"

"Here" before he could say anything else, Brittney had practically shoved the container in his hands. "I'm on a diet anyway, so they'll go to waste otherwise. Go home and share them with… Haruhi!"

Before Tamaki could rant about how such pretty girls don't need to go on diets (once a host, always a host), Brittney had disappeared into the rest of the student body in the hall.

Shrugging, he popped open the container and tried one of the delicious, albeit strange tasting brownies into his mouth. Tamaki shrugged. Maybe Americans baked their brownies differently.

A little down the hall, Brittney was smirking as she watched the innocent Eurasian boy. Her plan was simple; once his girlfriend broke up with him, Tamaki would be all hers – after all, there was no way the wannabe lawyer Haruhi Fujioka would want to stay with a guy who got stoned at school – intentionally or otherwise.

* * *

"Tamaki, what the hell are you doing?" Kyoya snapped.

They were midway through their maths class, and the blonde idiot had been acting weird the whole lesson, and Kyoya could no longer ignore it.

Tamaki slowly moved his head to look at his friend.

"I'm trying to feel it" he said as if it was obvious.

Kyoya frowned. "What?"

Tamaki blinked. "The _air_ Kyoya."

The black-haired boy simply stared at his friend. "What?" was all he could think to say.

"Why can't we feel it? Or maybe we can, but we're just so used to it that we don't notice anymore… Do you think fish can feel water, Kyoya?"

If Kyoya was anything but an Ootori, he probably would have burst out laughing at this point. It was clear that Tamaki had finally snapped.

"Are… are you alright Tamaki?" he asked, a little worried for his friend. The stress of his impending fatherhood was probably starting to settle now.

"I'm hungry."

Kyoya stared.

"Like, really hungry. When's lunch?"

"Um, in twenty minutes." Kyoya didn't think he'd ever been so befuddled by anyone in his life.

"What?! But we've already been in class for like, two hours! I want to go home" Tamaki sulked.

Kyoya continued to stare.

"Kyoya! I'm hungry!"

"Yes, I heard you the first time" he snapped, worried that Tamaki's volume and odd behaviour would soon attract the teacher.

"Will you take me to Taco Bell?" Tamaki moaned.

Kyoya gaped at his idiot friend. "What? No, were in class! Didn't you bring your own lunch today?"

Tamaki nodded sadly.

"So have some of that" Kyoya snapped. Ordinarily he wouldn't promote breaking rules such as eating in class, but Tamaki was being such a nuisance that he just wanted him to shut up.

Tamaki obliged, reaching into his bag to pull out the first thing he found; the box of brownies.

"Why are you carrying around a full box of brownies?" Kyoya couldn't help but as, exasperated with his friend's behaviour.

"Brittney gave them to me as an apology gift. They're really good, and feel fluffy, do you want one?"

One look into the brownie Tamaki had just bitten in to told Kyoya to never accept any baked goods from this Brittney person.

He shook his head. "No, no thank you Tamaki. I suggest you don't eat anymore either."

But if he did, Kyoya wasn't going to stop him. This could be interesting.

Kyoya spent the rest of the day supervising Tamaki, which did indeed become quite amusing at some points. However, that didn't mean he was going to let the idiot get into any dangerous situations, so he forced the blonde to walk home with him.

"But Kyoya, I wanted to walk home with Haruhi today!" Tamaki whined.

Kyoya rather thought it would end up with Haruhi guiding Tamaki home, much like he was doing now, but simply said "Haruhi is perfectly capable of finding her own way home" _unlike you_.

"Yeah, you're right" Tamaki said dreamily "she's perfect. I hope the baby is just like her!"

"So does everyone else."

"Kyoya, that was rude!"

"Sorry" he said, not sounding sorry at all.

Tamaki pouted. "You should be happy for me, Kyoya! I'm going to have my own princess! But she won't have a prince" he said, his face darkening. "No, she'll live happily with the King and his Queen forever!"

"I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself there" Kyoya said sighing. "The poor child hasn't even been born yet and you're already ridiculously overprotective. Besides, I'm sure you won't have to worry about any 'princes' for a long time, Tamaki."

"Mhmm."

The rest of the walk home consisted of Tamaki rambling about everything from what the baby would look like to posing deep philosophical questions, all while struggling not to trip over his own feet.

When they finally reached the apartment block, Kyoya decided it was probably best that he accompany Tamaki until Haruhi came home.

By the time she did get back to their apartment, Tamaki was on his fourth brownie and Kyoya was content to watch him make a fool of himself.

"Haruhiii, you're home! I missed you!" Tamaki exclaimed as Haruhi walked through the door.

"Hey Tamaki. Um, can you let go of me?" she asked as Tamaki squeezed her tightly in his hug. He reluctantly let go, moving out of her way. "Oh, hi Kyoya-senpai. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just keeping this idiot company."

"Hey!"

Haruhi moved her eyes around the apartment suspiciously. "Okay… what are those?" she asked, referring to the container full of Brittney's brownies.

"Oh, they're brownies! Here, do you want one?" Tamaki offered, handing her one.

"Oh, thanks" she raised the treat to her mouth before Kyoya stopped her by grabbing hold of her wrist. "What are you doing, Kyoya-senpai?"

"You shouldn't be eating these." He said simply, snatching the brownie from her hand.

Haruhi groaned. "Come on, as if Tamaki isn't overprotective enough! I'm pregnant, no diabetic, I can have some chocolate!"

"Of course, you can, but I seriously advise against consuming marijuana."

Haruhi stared at Kyoya in confusion before turning to watch Tamaki choke on his fifth brownie of the day.

"Wait, what?!"

Kyoya smirked. "They're pot brownies, Tamaki. Have you learnt your lesson about accepting food from strangers?" he said in a condescending tone.

Haruhi sighed as Tamaki began to freak out and simply moved to chuck the edibles in the bin.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi!" Tamaki wailed. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know! Why didn't you tell me?" he added to Kyoya accusingly.

"Honestly for my own amusement" Kyoya said. "Now that that's over, I think I'll be leaving now."

Tamaki whimpered as he sunk into the sofa, ignoring Antoinette as she started licking him.

"Are you okay, Tamaki?" Haruhi asked. She really didn't care about the mix-up, but he seemed pretty distraught.

"Mhmm… I'm sorry Haruhi!"

"You don't need to apologise to me" Haruhi said.

"But… I did something really stupid!"

How is that any different than usual, Haruhi thought. "It wasn't your fault, and it's not like you did anything outrageous."

"Hmmm" Tamaki murmured, moving his head into Haruhi's shoulder.

It was a few minutes before Haruhi realised her boyfriend had fallen asleep. She smiled, patting his head in fondness.

What an idiot. _My_ idiot.

* * *

 **I don't encourage drug use, but hey it makes for a funny plotline! Apparently marijuana is now legal in the part of America they're in (probably not at the time) so I thought it would be interesting.**

 **And yeah, this chapter was hella choppy and a bit of a filler, the next one might be too, but hey, you guys have been so spoiled for reveals and plot recently that I wanted to have my fun aha :p sorry!**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to my new readers, I love you all!**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Animefreak112097 – same, same, I would be murdered! And yeah, I don't think he would've kicked Haruhi out since he loves her so much, but still would've been mad. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **DaughterOfLoki1 – Yeah, Ranka is a pretty chill parent, but Haruhi still crossed a line and I do think he would've punished her for that. And yeah, it really gets you thinking and I know I would've been kicked out or something. Sorry if the time frame is kind of confusing, so I put it at the start to clear up any confusion. I can't wait until the baby is born too, there's so much potential and things to write about, I'm hella excited and want to get to it just as much as you guys do!**

 **Krys2007 – haha that would've been a plot twist, Ranka killing off Tamaki halfway through the story. Honestly naming the baby after Kotoko was a last minute decision, I originally had another name in mind but then I thought this would suit her better, so I'm glad you like it!**


	18. Chapter 18

After months of tirelessly studying and desperately missing family, the dreaded exam week had finally dawned upon them.

At six months pregnant, Haruhi was supposed to have been limiting her stress, but she was determined to do well on her exams. Tamaki had been bothering her at the apartment, so she had taken to studying at the library after school rather than going straight home.

She'd only been studying for an hour, but Haruhi was already beginning to feel fatigued. She knew it was because of her pregnancy but couldn't help but feel weak.

Haruhi moaned and placed her head on her textbook in an unusual show of defeat. She didn't want to push herself too hard for the sake of the baby – but wasn't all of this for the baby really? She was pushing herself to the limit to pass her exams and get into a good university for a chance at becoming a lawyer and supporting her family (that hadn't been the original reason for her dedication, but it did help).

Haruhi didn't know when or how she'd fallen asleep, but the next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken awake.

"Mmm"

"Haruhi, you have to wake up" she heard her boyfriend's say gently.

When Tamaki had finished his revision for the day, he had made his way to the school library to find Haruhi and take her home like he normally did, but today he had found the gorgeous girl asleep at her desk instead of being engrossed in her notes.

The sight was endearing, but it didn't stop Tamaki from being a little worried about her health. The stress and late nights resulting from the pre-exam week couldn't be healthy for her or the baby.

"Haruhiii" he trilled, rubbing her shoulder a little.

Finally, the brunette began to stir.

"Tamaki?"

"Afternoon, sleepy head. You fell asleep at your desk."

Haruhi picked her head off of the desk and groaned as she worked out the cricks in her neck. "Did I?"

Tamaki chuckled and held out his hand to help her up. "Come on, let's get you home."

Haruhi took his hand and let herself be pulled up, a little awkwardly thanks to the baby bump. She had to admit, despite the fact she was terrified of actually giving birth, she was looking forward to losing the bump.

Tamaki helped her collect all of her things before they left the library and headed out of the school.

"It's so cloudy out today, I hope it doesn't rain" Tamaki said conversationally.

At that statement, Haruhi suddenly tensed up.

Feeling her hand tighten around his, Tamaki stopped to look at his motionless girlfriend.

"Haruhi?"

"It's supposed to storm tonight" she groaned. Why did she have to stay back today of all days?

"Oh?" Tamaki frowned. "Maybe we'll be lucky, and the weatherman was wrong. Come on, we better get back quick."

Even as he said this, he knew it was a pointless suggestion. The sky was dark with thick clouds looming ominously above them, and he knew they wouldn't get home without running, something virtually impossible in Haruhi's condition.

"... Tamaki" Haruhi's voice was trembling as they heard the first of many distant roars of thunder.

Tamaki cursed and pulled Haruhi into him with one arm while reaching for his phone with the other.

"I'll call for a car to come get us."

"You don't have to –" she shrieked as a flash of lightning came down on the other side of the street.

Tamaki sighed and started walking down the street trying to find some cover, Haruhi alongside him, as he spoke to his chauffer on the phone.

He could feel Haruhi shaking next to him and tried his best to comfort her silently by stroking her hair and keeping her body as close to his as possible.

By the time he'd organised a ride home, the rain was hammering down on them and Haruhi was as close as physically possible to Tamaki.

"Hey, it'll be okay" he told her kindly.

He knew how much storm affected her, and he was even more worried now than before as he didn't want Haruhi to get sick so late in her pregnancy, or have stress forcing her into premature labour.

The thought made him shiver.

"The car will be here soon, just hold on, okay?" He said soothingly.

Haruhi nodded, rendered silent from fear.

Tamaki frowned, desperately upset at how fearful Haruhi was. All he wanted was for her to be healthy and happy, but one little storm had the power to alter all that, and he hated it.

The rain had practically soaked them to the bone and all Tamaki could do was hug his girlfriend and hope she wouldn't get sick and endanger their child.

Haruhi was silent for the most part aside from a few stray sobs, and Tamaki was anxiously checking his phone for a notification every few minutes.

After what seemed like hours, Tamaki heard the light 'ping!' of his phone confirming his driver's arrival.

"Come on Haruhi..." before, Tamaki would have no qualms about simply swooping her up bridal style, but now (not that he would dare say it) she was too heavy to carry so far.

Haruhi slowly began to move almost mechanically, reminding Tamaki of a rusted robot.

Tamaki did his best to usher her to the car quickly and once they were finally in, he instantly pressed the switch to put the divider up.

"You okay?" He asked as he put on _both_ their seat bells, seeing as Haruhi didn't seem at all attentive.

"Yeah... sorry for being a burden."

"You're not a burden, Haruhi" Tamaki said, gently pulling her head down to his shoulder.

"O-oh yeah? How?" Haruhi challenged. "I can't stress myself too much, so I can't study; I can't run because I'm the size of a melon; I'm a complete mess!"

Tamaki shook his head. "Correction: you are my beautiful girlfriend that I have no trouble protecting, and you're sacrificing so much to carry my child. I love you."

Haruhi's tears ceased for a moment as she took the time to look up at her boyfriend in awe.

"Tamaki… I'm so happy you're going to be the father of my children… I love you too…"

Tamaki beamed at the thought of their growing family and quickly captured Haruhi's lips with his own, all thoughts of the thunderstorm gone.

* * *

While Kyoya had to admit that the last stunt Brittney had pulled on Tamaki had been amusing, he wanted to be sure that it would be the last.

He had to admit, however grudgingly, that Tamaki was his friend, and if the simpleton was too kind to cut off ties with this troublemaking girl, then Kyoya would do it for him. He owed him and Haruhi that much after that disastrous phone call (though Kyoya maintained that it was partially Haruhi's fault for not telling Ranka in the first place, but he wasn't going to tell her that so late in her pregnancy).

So here he was, a week before his final exams, tracking down an insolent girl infatuated with his uninterested best friend.

Seeing as they were preparing for the exams, it wasn't hard to guess that she would be in the library, and indeed Kyoya saw a girl who matched Tamaki's description sitting alone at a table with her note surrounding her.

"Brittney Samuels?"

As Kyoya approached her, the blonde girl turned, clear unrecognition showing on her face. "Uh, hi. Do I know you?"

"O – Kyoya Ootori" he introduced himself, mentally scolding himself as he remembered westerners used their given name first. Weird.

"I don't know you." Brittney said uncaringly, turning back to her work. Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Giving your situation, I would think you would try to be a little politer."

"Look, I'm trying to study, so hurry up and get to the point!"

Kyoya smirked. Here came the fun part. "I am a friend of Tamaki's."

That caught her attention. "Oh?" she turned around in her chair. "How-"

"I also own the largest private police force in Japan, which has a considerable amount of power in several overseas countries, including the US."

"Your point?" Brittney sneered.

Kyoya smiled uncharacteristically sweetly. "I just thought I'd give you a courtesy notice before the police come to apprehend you tonight."

"What?" Brittney frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You are being arrested for being in illegal possession of marijuana and knowingly drugging an unaware person."

The blonde girl gaped at him with wide eyes. "I… what? I didn't do anything!"

"Don't try to fight it, we all know you gave Tamaki laced brownies."

"You have no proof of that!"

"School security cameras, Miss Samuels. There is footage of you giving Tamaki Suoh pot brownies and I have medical records of the drug recorded in his system hours later."

Tamaki didn't know that, but he didn't need to.

"B-but i…" Brittney stammered.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow and the girl made a huffing sound as she bgan to pack up her belongings.

"I'm getting a lawyer!" she snapped at him as she turned to left.

Kyoya smirked. "I'm not sure how long you'll be serving for, but I'm sure Miss Fujioka would be happy to help you in a few years."

The blonde girl made an angry spluttering sound before exiting the building.

Kyoya couldn't help but laugh. Oh, it was always satisfying to get one up on someone who had hurt his friends.

* * *

It had finally arrived.

After months of hard work, sweat and (a lot of) tears, the final exam week had finally approached and all of the high schoolers in Boston were cramming in as much as possible.

Well, all except Tamaki Suoh.

"Haruhi, you need to relax!" he said concernedly as he watched his pregnant girlfriend go over and rewrite her notes for the fifth time that evening. "You're going to end up hurting the baby with all this stress"

"Shut _up_ , Tamaki."

Tamaki frowned in confusion. "Ummm…" Haruhi hadn't been too bad with her mood swings as she generally stayed true to herself, and when she did go off the rails it was usually in sadness, not anger. So this outburst was a little disconcerting.

"I really think you ought to take a quick break." Tamaki continued quietly.

Haruhi let out a loud groan and threw her pen down in frustration. "Fine! If it will get you to shut up, I'll take a five minute break!"

"Ten." Tamaki countered.

Haruhi glowered at him.

"Five" he corrected himself quickly.

The atmosphere quickly turned tense. Tamaki had been hoping she would agree and join him on the couch, but instead she was simply glaring at the wall ahead of her instead of at her books.

"Um… Haruhi?"

" _What_?" she asked bitingly.

"Are you okay?" Tamaki asked sincerely. "I know you're probably sick of me saying it, but I am worried about you – because I love you. You seem really stressed and I just want to make sure…"

Haruhi let out an unamused laugh.

"Well you're right about one thing; I am sick of being treated like I'm going to break! I study like this every year, this should be no different! But no, everyone has to check in with me every three seconds to check if I'm okay! I'm fine! Just pregnant! And I'm sick of it!"

To Tamaki's horror, the brunette burst into tears.

"Uh, Haruhi, calm down!" he said as he jumped up to join her at the dining table. "I don't – no one thinks you're helpless, you're incredibly strong – the fact that you're going through this shows just how strong you are. But you know, it's okay not to be okay sometimes? And it's okay to tell us that."

"I'm fine" she said, wiping away her tears.

Tamaki sighed, wrapping his arms around her torso.

"It's okay" for the next few minutes, he simply let Haruhi cry into his chest.

In the end, Haruhi accidentally abandoned her schoolwork as she fell asleep right there in Tamaki's arms.

Tamaki smiled down at the girl in his arms, pleased that she could finally rest.

When Haruhi woke up, Tamaki was ecstatic that she agreed to take regular breaks between her study sessions (after some debating of course) and they were both glad that neither of them endured another breakdown during the course of the exams. Still, the couple knew that even though the school term had officially ended, it was still only the calm before the storm.

* * *

 **This chapter was really angsty and kinda shitty, so sorry if it's not up to regular standards, but the juices were just not flowing :/**

 **I know Brittney's… 'departure' for lack of better word is a little jarring, especially since she never had any kind of arc or redemption during this story, but I am considering her returning in the second part of the story. Which brings me to another point – part 1 of this story is the whole pregnancy, and part 2 is set after the baby is born. They will be treated like separate story's, like you can stop reading once part 1 is over if you like and will have a 'finale', but part 2 will pick up where it left off for those of you who want to read about their life after the baby is born.**

 **I'm sorry if you're disappointed by another filler-y chapter, we're back to plot-ty stuff next week!**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Daughter of the Oceans – the host club finally has a break now lol, I'm sure no one is sad to see her go!**

 **Yaly.97cello – haha, yes, Brittney is officially cancelled! And yeah, that was a mistake, I had all my old notes left in there, that's embarrassing. That's what happens when you don't edit lol. Yeah, I was worried about the last chapter and this one since they come off super filler-y. And I am thinking of giving Brittney more of a backstory and arc/redemption in the second part of the story or maybe just when I edit the whole story once its done, but that'll take a while. I totally get where you're coming from though. And don't worry, this is so NOT a drama-y soap opera, I despise those as well aha**

 **Animefreak112097 – I hope this satisfied you!**

 **MommaDiamond – don't worry, Ranka will be a lot calmer in the future! And I understand that Kyoya not saying anything didn't make a lot of sense, but I hope with this chapter it came across as if Kyoya had his master-plan of dobbing Brittney in the whole time :p I'm sorry that this chapter was kinda filler-y as well, but I'm just having my fun with the characters aha**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – glad you liked it, I hope Brittney's downfall was satistfying!**

 **HACKED DON'T CONTACT – so first of all, I think you need to change your username back soon hon aha. Hope everything is going okay xx Glad you like the name, but it's been changed to Haruhi's mothers name since them, sorry to disappoint! And yeah, the revelation was hard to write but hey at least its over now right aha**

 **Ookami28 – haha I'm glad you can see the comparison! And no, I thought Haruhi would be very sympathetic. She saw through Brittney's bullshit straight away! And yes, I always imagined Tamaki having his own 'princess' to fawn over, I also thought it would be amusing to see him be an overprotective dad seeing guys like him as a threat (kinda like Ranka actually aha) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Krys2007 – Well this chapter answered your question lol, I hope you liked it! Confession: I've never had Taco Bell, idk if we have them in Australia but I've never seen one around, so I'm just basing it off of movies and tv lol. Hope it was accurate. And yeah, Kyoya was hella shady, but I hope this chapter conveyed the message that he had his grand plan of dobbing her in all along. Fortunately he did draw the line at harming Haruhi. Hope you liked this chapter just as much!**


	19. Chapter 19

For the past three years Tamaki had been working endlessly in an attempt to prove himself to his grandmother and everyone else around him, and now all of that hard work had paid off as he stood on stage at Ouran Academy, waiting to receive his high school diploma.

They had all been surprised at how fast they had received their exam results from their American high school, and Haruhi had been relieved to see that her baby hadn't hindered her in any way academically, as she achieved high marks in all her subjects just like the rest of the host club. This of course qualified her and the twins to move up to their senior year, and for Tamaki and Kyoya to graduate.

Unfortunately, graduating meant that they were expected to return to Japan for the event and celebrations.

Since Haruhi couldn't travel, Tamaki had tried contacting his father to see if they could make other arrangements, but he had been redirected to the secretary's office and was told that it was a government rule, not a school rule. Tamaki had considered challenging the law before realising that the process would take twice as long and force him back to Japan anyway. So instead he had packed his bags and left Haruhi in the capable hands of Mori senpai and Honey senpai (the twins were there too, but Tamaki hardly considered them 'capable').

The trip had been peaceful so far, but Tamaki couldn't help but worry.

While Haruhi was still a few months away from giving birth, now that she was in her third trimester, the fear of premature birth was prevalent in both their minds. To them, Haruhi's age, recent workload and Tamaki's absence translated into a potential stress—induced birth scenario which had them both worried.

Tamaki was terrified at the thought of missing the birth of his first child and forcing Haruhi to endure the ordeal on her own, but for now was stuck in Japan for a week. _One week, I can do that_ , he thought, trying to be positive.

He and Haruhi had decided that they could use the opportunity to set their affairs in order, meaning that Tamaki would be paying both his father and Ranka a visit.

For now though, he simply had to get through the formalities.

The graduation ceremony was a rather boring event in which students simply received their awards and diplomas before waiting for the rest of the year level while parents and teachers took photographs. However, as usual Tamaki managed to make it a little more enjoyable by being his charming self.

The old clients of the Host Club had been excited to see the two graduating host members and had immediately swarmed Tamaki and Kyoya, forcing them to separate, but Tamaki didn't mind. The girls were interesting enough and kept his distracted and entertained.

It was odd to be back, he noted, after so much had changed. The last time he was at school was for the masquerade school when he had kissed Haruhi and had pledged his loyalty to her… looking back, he truly had no idea how much of an impact that statement had on his life.

Now he was back at school for the first time in a little under a year and was anxious to get back to his pregnant girlfriend… the difference to a year ago was almost unfathomable.

"Tamaki, how is Haruhi? Aren't you two dating?" one of the girls asked suddenly.

Tamaki blinked as he came back to reality at the mention of Haruhi's name.

"Haruhi? Yes, she's… fine."

The whole pregnancy had been such a life-changing event for him that he often forgot there were people that had no idea he was about to become a father.

He wasn't at all ashamed of the fact and might've told them about it if weren't afraid of Haruhi's reaction. When it came to the baby, they had agreed to make a joint decision about who to tell after the whole Brittney fiasco.

"I still can't believe that Haruhi was a girl the whole time!" another girl chimed, sounding awed. The other girls began squealing and talking amongst themselves, so Tamaki found himself able to 'relax', falling back into his dream-like state as he wondered what Haruhi was doing and if she was okay.

* * *

"Oh hey Haruhi, how are you feeling?"

"Oh good, good." Haruhi lied. In all honesty, she had finally started to reach the point in her pregnancy where she was sick of being pregnant.

She was laying somewhat comfortably in her bed in an attempt to soothe her aching back. Having all of that extra weight in the front was finally catching up to her, and painfully. The swelling in her feet wasn't helping either and had helped Haruhi decide that this was the worst trimester.

"What's up?"

"Um, I just wanted to chat for a bit. Tamaki is back in Japan so I'm a little anxious at being alone" she admitted.

Mei sighed. "Are you stressing out, Haruhi?" she asked kindly.

Haruhi swallowed thickly. "I know I need to relax, but I… just can't. I mean, what if something happens?"

Haruhi had been full of stress ever since Tamaki left, and she wasn't even quite sure why. Millions of 'what-if's' were running through her mind, and she was misdiagnosing every little thing for contractions.

"You're just being paranoid. You still have three months to go, the chances of you giving birth in this specific one-week space is so slim, you're just going to make yourself sick with worry." Mei said.

Even though the girls had an ocean (or two) between them, Haruhi had still seeked out the other girl in her time of need while Tamaki was unavailable.

Haruhi sighed. "I know that logically… but I can't help but worry."

"I know, I know. We should try to distract you – oh, I've been knitting clothes for your little one!"

Haruhi smiled softly "Mei, you didn't have to do that."

"Don't be stupid, I wanted to! Also it's really fun to design different types of clothes for once, and baby clothes are so cute!"

Haruhi snorted, wondering how clothes could be considered 'cute'.

"So, have you thought of a name yet?" Mei asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah, actually"

"Wow, really?" Mei said. Haruhi furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion.

"What?"

"I just didn't think you'd actually… nothing." Mei covered up quickly, deciding it was best not to anger a pregnant woman. "So what's the name?"

"Kotoko."

Mei smiled softly. "After your mother?"

"Yeah…" Haruhi answered happily.

"That's really sweet, Haruhi."

"Thanks. I don't know if mum would really be happy about it…" Haruhi trailed off for a second but continuing "but it's a pretty name and I want to honour her in some way."

"Haruhi, your mum loved you and would love your baby. I'm sure she's honoured… plus, what a cute name! Oooh, I'm calling her Koko!"

Haruhi frowned. "Uh, why?"

"Koto and Toko just aren't as cute!"

Haruhi laughed with a shake off her head. "Well okay then…"

"So what about if it's a boy?"

"Hmm? Oh – not, it's definitely a girl, we checked."

Haruhi had to hold the phone away from her ear as Mei shrieked down the line. "Haruhi! Why wouldn't you tell me that?!"

"I'm sorry…?" she phrased it like a question, a little unsure of why Mei sounded so offended.

"You should be!" Mei mock-snapped. "As the baby's godmother-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Haruhi interrupted.

"As the baby's godmother," Mei continued loudly "I deserve to know these things!"

Haruhi paused. "You can be 'Aunty Mei.'"

Mei giggled. "I'll take it. Oh, there was a question I wanted to ask you – is sex different when you're pregnant? Cause I was reading a manga…"

Haruhi groaned as she let her friend ramble on, still feeling comforted by her friend's familiar rants. With all the chaos in her life, Haruhi was glad for some semblance of normalcy.

* * *

Tamaki let out a deep breath. He'd been practising those breathing exercises from Haruhi's birthing books for the past few minutes, and to be honest, he was quite worried for his girlfriend because it was doing nothing.

He'd been standing outside Ranka and Haruhi's familiar apartment building for about five minutes trying to calm himself down and work up the courage to knock on the door.

After everything that had happened and now that he and Ranka were going to be family, Tamaki thought that it was only courteous for him to pay Ranka a visit and thank him for helping out him and Haruhi.

But Tamaki wasn't stupid and was in fact very aware of the potential danger behind the door. The very last words Ranka had said to Tamaki was something along the lines of 'if you hurt her, I'll kill you', and weren't very comforting in the moment considering he had proceeded to impregnate said girl.

In all honesty, Tamaki would love nothing more than to turn around and run far, far away (preferably to the airport so he could get back to Boston), but he was willing to work through the hardship for the sake of his girlfriend and daughter.

With a sigh, Tamaki knocked on the door, patiently awaiting his punishment.

He could hear shuffling around in the apartment and braced himself as Ranka unlocked the door.

"Hello-" Ranka stopped his cheery greeting as he realised who was at his door. "You," he hissed.

Tamaki cringed as he felt himself physically shrink in size. "Hello sir... I was hoping... Hoping we could... Speak?" It came out as more of a question and Tamaki wanted nothing more than to turn and run.

It must have looked an odd scene to any onlooker, with a six foot eighteen-year-old cowering under the manning glare of a seemingly harmless middle-aged woman.

"You want to speak?" Ranka repeated, sounding astounded.

Tamaki swallowed. "Er... yes. I... I understand the magnitude of my actions and wanted to, um, apologise in person and reassure you that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that Haruhi and our child have the best possible lives."

"I hear a lot of talk and little action, Suoh" Ranka said accusatory.

Tamaki bowed his head. "I... Understand how it looks. If you could er just let me in and I will explain my predicament."

Ranka sighed and his eyes flickered back to the apartment. "Well alright then."

Tamaki shuffled into the somewhat familiar apartment and took in his surroundings. There were pictures of Haruhi and her family all over the place, one of the things he loved and felt the absence of in his cold mansion. He hoped that his new family would have that sense of warmth.

The first Kotoko Fujioka's shrine was a spotless as ever, thought Tamaki did notice Ranka had another picture up against the shrine; an image of Haruhi's most recent ultrasound, showing their baby girl. Tamaki felt his heart swell with happiness as he noted that Ranka truly did love his family, including his unborn granddaughter. Haruhi would be relieved to know they would both be accepted when they returned.

"Well, Suoh? What's your excuse?"

Tamaki grimaced as he prepared to tell Ranka his story.

"You see... My grandmother has never liked me. My mother is French and a... not exactly a commoner, but she's not as high status as the Suoh family. She disapproved of my parent's relationship and I was born out of wedlock. In her eyes, I was a mistake." The last sentence came out far more bitter than Tamaki expected it to be, since he'd never let it affect him before, but he realised it was because this was how she saw his daughter as well.

"She only ever barely tolerated me, basically ignoring me my entire life. Being born out of wedlock meant I wasn't worthy of being a Suoh and I've had to fight to be seen as worthy of becoming the heir..."

Tamaki was surprised to see that Ranka had not yet interrupted and was in fact listening intently.

"It was only over the past year that she finally started coming around to me... and then I... I ruined everything." The last part came out rather choked and Tamaki was horrified. He didn't want to see his daughters life as a mistake as his grandmother did, but he hated the fact that he and Haruhi were so unprepared and especially how much it was hurting her and her dreams.

"Tamaki..." Ranka trailed off as he felt a rush of sympathy for the boy he had hated just a few minutes ago.

"Now she doesn't want me to have anything to do with the business, I'm sure of it! But she won't say anything definitively because she doesn't want to put 'stress' on Haruhi. Stress? Of course she's going to disown me." Tamaki chuckled hollowly. "She just wants to do it at the last possible moment to watch all the hope just drain from us... I won't be a heir, I won't be anything but a high school graduate, and I'll be a simple commoner with as much power as you, Ranka-San."

Ranka frowned, choosing to ignore the probably unintentional insult, and instead focused his efforts on reassuring the scared blonde.

"So ... What you're saying is you're afraid you won't be able to support Haruhi and the baby when all's said and done?"

Tamaki nodded, not trusting himself to speak while quickly rubbing at his eyes. "I've never had a real family," he said quietly "so I wanted to do it right. But now... now I can't."

It was in that moment that everything clicked into place for Ranka.

Tamaki Suoh was lonely.

His parents had been separated his entire life and he'd never seen the extent of their love, and when he moved to Japan he'd never experienced any affection from his grandmother. Tamaki hadn't had anything except money.

Now he had Haruhi and their little girl, but _no_ money.

The poor boy felt like he had to choose one or the other because that's the way it had always been for him.

"Insect..." Ranka sighed as Tamaki flinched. "Look, as much as I want to beat the crap out of you for getting my baby girl pregnant, you need to understand that you have a new family now; and families look out for each other." He moved forward to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't think I'm going to let _either_ of you suffer. Haruhi is my daughter... And I'm willing to put up with _you_ for the sake of my grandchild. She deserves a dad, and you'll be a brilliant one."

Tamaki finally met the older man's eye, his face shrouded in confusion.

"I- what?"

"I see the way you act around my daughter, and as much as I dislike you, I can acknowledge that you seem to truly love my daughter and I can see how much love you already have for your own daughter."

Tamaki was still completely perplexed by the turn of events. He had fully been expecting to be yelled at and possibly beaten by Ranka but had never expected him to actually _validate_ his worries and even reassure him.

"I... Thank you."

Ranka have him a sort of half smile. "I'm still angry at you." He assured his daughter boyfriend, though the effect was somewhat ruined by his earlier comment.

Tamaki made a face. "Well... I didn't expect anything different. If it's any consolation, I'm angry with myself too. I love my daughter, but we should have waited, and it was... preventable." He squirmed uncomfortably as he realised he'd accidentally bought up the fact he'd had unprotected sex with this intimidating man in a dress' daughter.

Ranka chose to ignore the comment. "In any case, what's done is done and you're stepping up. And to be perfectly honest, I can't wait to meet my beautiful granddaughter!" He added in his excited feminine voice.

"So am I." Tamaki replied honestly.

"I've been preparing for the last few weeks! Don't tell Haruhi though, she'll only accuse me of wasting money." Ranka rolled his eyes as if his daughters concerns weren't legitimate.

"Oh really?" Tamaki inquired, intrigued.

"Yes. Here, look" Ranka ushered Tamaki towards Haruhi's bedroom and opened the door to reveal the mini-renovation.

The bed had been shoved to a corner of the room under the window pane opposite the wardrobe, and there was a half-constructed crib at the foot of the bed, barely fitting in the cramped space. The wall that the crib lay against had been freshly painted a feminine rose gold colour.

"Wow, sir," Tamaki exhaled, genuinely surprised. "This is incredible! And the crib, did you make it?"

"From scratch." Ranka proclaimed proudly. "I'm not all looks you know!"

"Clearly," Tamaki agreed, though Ranka didn't seem to hear him as he moved to lift a box from the corner of the room, beckoning Tamaki over.

"I figured there was no point in you wasting money of things we already have, so you can have these."

Tamaki couldn't help but squeal in excitement as he began to rummage through the box of Haruhi's old baby clothes.

"These are so cute!" he cooed, picking up a tiny newborn onesie with what seemed to be fairy wings on the back. "Thank you, Ranka-san!"

Ranka made a face that was halfway between a smile and a grimace.

"Yes… well… make sure you take care of my girls." He told the teenager sternly.

Tamaki beamed. "I promise I'm one hundred percent dedicated to my girls."

* * *

 **Sorry about the late chapter, I hope it's not too late for you all**

 **I keep forgetting to mention this, but if you'd like a way to contact me outside of FFN, PM me and I'll let you know my personal Instagram so you can contact me any time. We can talk about the fic, you can ask about the updates, just chat, whatever you like! – just a note, this does NOT mean you get sneak-peaks or spoilers. It's just an easier way to get in contact with me than PMing.**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **MommaDiamond – true, but remember this is set before pot was legalised and she gave it to someone else. Also this is Kyoya, he can do anything aha. I hope you liked this chapter just as much, it was a lot less filler-y. Also, I'm super happy you want to keep reading, cause I can't wait to start writing about their family life!**

 **Yaly.97cello – saaaame, Tamaki is an amazing boyfriend, Haruhi is so spoilt. I thought this chapter was a lot better than the previous two so I hope you agree with me and enjoyed this! Enjoy your tea**

 **Manglelove – I don't usually respond to anon reviews, but since you asked me a question I feel obliged to reply: I've never tried actual sushi! I've had shitty fast food ones and they're ok but I wouldn't have it again unless it was from a proper restaurant. So glad you like the story, hope you enjoyed the new chapter.**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – yeah, Kyoya felt bad, but he's a good friend under all those layers of indifference!**

 **Krys2007 – Yes, ding dong the wicked witch is dead! (that's the song right?) and yes, Kyoya is a sly bastard but we all love him. And of course, you can't write an ouran fic without a storm, they're just too sweet! Poor Haruhi is kinda OOC cause of those pesky hormones, I think she'd get sick of being pregnant, and Tamaki is the best boyfriend, those two are real couple goals!**


	20. Chapter 20

***WARNING! This chapter includes spoilers for the manga! All the speech in bold are taken directly from the final pages of the manga***

* * *

After a week of painfully awkward exchanges between himself and his father, both fearing and hoping to come across his grandmother with no results, and one exhausting plane ride, Tamaki was happy to finally be back in the same city as his girlfriend and unborn daughter.

It was still dark when he unlocked the door to Haruhi's apartment and made his way to Haruhi's bedroom where he knew his girlfriend would be.

As expected, Haruhi was wrapped up in the sheets, her large baby bump obviously protruding against the blankets.

Tamaki smiled and made his way across the room, quietly crawling onto the bed. "Haruhi?" he whispered, checking to see if she was awake.

The teenage girl didn't respond, save for a sleepy whimpering sound. Tamaki smiled and simply laid his head on the pillow beside her and placed his hand over Haruhi's baby bump.

Much to his surprise, he felt the slightest of movements below his palm.

Tamaki grinned. "Good morning, Kotoko. I'm happy to see you too, but please don't kick your mummy too hard, she needs her sleep," he told her, though he did enjoy feeling his daughter kick in his girlfriend's womb; it was a surreal experience.

"I hope you haven't been too fussy while I've been away" Tamaki continued, gently rubbing Haruhi's bump as he spoke, careful not to wake her. "I know mummy has been a little stressed, so I hope you're doing okay… not that it's her fault, it's actually more my fault… but I promise I'm going to do a lot better from now on" he promised his unborn child.

He was rewarded with a firm kick, almost as if the baby was responding.

Tamaki smiled at the feeling, but quickly retracted his hand as he noticed Haruhi beginning to stir.

"Tamaki?" she called out in a raspy voice.

"Morning princess" he whispered.

"Were you just talking to the baby?" Haruhi asked sleepily.

Tamaki blushed and nodded, a little embarrassed about being caught.

Haruhi gave her boyfriend a soft smile. "That's so sweet senpai … wait, I thought you weren't going to be back for another few days…"

"Well I didn't have anything else to do so I thought I'd come home."

It was true, Tamaki had been preparing for university and working with his father to oversee the family's business, and while it had been a hard process, he had been motivated to get everything done quickly and he'd ended up with a few days to spare and had chosen to return to Boston.

"I spoke to your dad."

"Hmm?"

"I think he's actually excited to meet the baby."

Haruhi made a face. "Yeah, well so am I. I can't wait this is all over" she indicated to her enlarged belly.

Tamaki chuckled. "Well, I think you look beautiful" he enunciated the statement with a quick kiss.

Haruhi pulled away with a groan. "Yeah, well I feel awful."

"I'm sorry." Tamaki said with a bit of a laugh, though he felt bad about everything she'd had to endure.

"Your dad gave us some clothes for the baby."

"Oh, really?" Haruhi said, sitting up. "I want to see, where are they?"

Tamaki groaned a little as he'd been looking forward to some sleep but directed Haruhi over to the box of infant clothing.

Haruhi started rummaging through the clothes and considered herself lucky she was having a girl, seeing as all of her old baby clothes her dad had sent Tamaki back with were mostly pink or purple and covered in frills or other decorative images clearly meant for a girl.

She felt Tamaki join her at her side and pick up a particular fairy onesie. "Look how cute this is!" he exclaimed happily, holding up the garment.

Haruhi nodded with a smile but didn't truly understand his excitement. The baby's birth seemed so far away to her, she couldn't even imagine a child dressed in these clothes. Everything felt like a dream.

Tamaki on the other hand was excited for the birth of the baby, nervous but thrilled at the thought of having a daughter.

"There's only clothes here, which is great, but you know we're going to need some more things before the baby is actually born."

"Why? I thought we were going straight back to Japan after the baby is born" Tamaki said.

"No, we have to wait a couple of weeks before she can fly, and that's for your private plane. And anyway, we would still need things like diapers and bottles and things."

Tamaki frowned. "I suppose you're right…" suddenly his face lightened up "but that just means we have another opportunity to go to a commoner's shop!"

* * *

Haruhi sighed. She really should have seen that coming.

After her little reminder, Tamaki had pestered her the whole day to take him to a commoner's baby store, so now there they were, walking around an impossibly large Babies R Us.

"I can't believe how cheap these things are!" Tamaki marvelled at the discounts and toys displayed. Haruhi frowned as she realised what he was looking at.

"Tamaki, we're only in Boston for another couple of weeks after the baby is born, we are not buying an indoor slide for an infant!"

Tamaki flashed her his signature puppy dog eyes.

"I'll be careful with her!"

Haruhi gaped at him. "No!"

"What if I just ordered it to be shipped back to Japan?"

"I am seriously reconsidering you being in my baby's life!"

" _Our_ baby"

"I'm suing for sole custody."

"Haruhiiiii, please!"

"No!"

The two circled the store and quickly managed to find diapers, bottles and a little plastic tub that served as a bath for babies (neither Tamaki nor Haruhi had even thought of how difficult it would be to wash a baby in a giant bathtub), but were struggling to find a temporary crib for their apartment.

"What about this one?" Tamaki suggested, gesturing towards a intricately designed wooden crib.

Haruhi shook her head. "No!" the frustration of not being able to find what she wanted and being out on her feet for too long was taking its toll. "That's too big, we need something small and light we can just take when we leave!"

Before Tamaki could answer, his voice was overpowered by the sound of two gossiping older women.

"What, is she planning to leave him already?"

"Way to cause a scene."

"Why is he even still with her? She just told him she was going to take the baby and leave him."

"Look at her, she looks pretty young, practically a child herself. I've heard it's a thing teenage girls are doing now, you know, get pregnant and get child support money as soon as possible to support themselves."

"Stupid girl. She's only a child herself and now she's having a child of her own." The woman tutted.

Haruhi averted her eyes from the woman and pretended to keep looking at the furniture while Tamaki stared openly at them in shock, even after they walked away.

"Tamaki, what are you doing?" she eventually asked him as he stayed still for over three minutes.

"I… I just… they were so rude!" he spluttered, confounded.

Haruhi shrugged. "Well yeah… people don't understand, it's okay, it happens a lot."

Tamaki whipped around in shock. "What?" he almost shouted.

Haruhi winced and signalled for him to calm down silently.

"It's no big deal!" she whispered. "I'm clearly young, so of course people will wonder. I get strange looks all the time."

"I thought the twins stopped the kids at school bullying you…" Tamaki said guiltily.

"Well… yeah, I wasn't getting too much harassment at school, but that doesn't stop people in the streets looking at you weird or making mean comments."

"People have said things like that to you before?!" Tamaki exclaimed again, outraged.

Haruhi didn't respond, determined not to make a scene.

Tamaki sighed, but much to Haruhi's surprise, instead of continuing on his tirade, he stepped towards her and wrapping his arms around her, hands resting on her stomach as he stood behind her.

Haruhi blushed. "Tamaki…" she whined, half-heartedly trying to move him hands.

"I'm not moving. They already think you're a dumb teenager, so we might as well let them know we're both dumb teenagers in love."

The declaration made Haruhi's face heat up and turn back to start inspecting the cribs again.

"Hey look, there's a little bassinet there…"

Haruhi face palmed. Of course the very thing they needed would be right in front of them the whole time.

* * *

Haruhi yawned as she leant back in her chair, stretching out her back into a more comfortable position. It seemed like she had been working for ages and she was glad to finally be done with her final assignments. From now on, there was no more schoolwork and she could focus on her, Tamaki and the baby.

"I'm exhausted" she muttered to herself as she tucked her now shoulder-length hair behind her ear.

There was nothing more she wanted than to sink into her comfortable bed and go straight to sleep, but she knew Tamaki had been waiting for her to finish up her work so they could spend the night together, so she headed towards the living room.

As she left her bedroom, Antoinette greeted her with a wagging tail and Haruhi bent down to stroke her absent-mindedly. She had to admit, she'd become quite fond of Tamaki's furry companion.

As she entered the living room, Haruhi noticed with a sigh that Tamaki had fallen asleep on her couch.

"Tamaki" she leant down to shake him slightly. "Come on, wake up. **Won't you catch a cold sleeping like this?** "

The blonde didn't stir. Haruhi sighed. "Tamaki, wake up… if you like, **we can cuddle now** …" that usually worked.

When Tamaki continued to sleep on, Haruhi figured she might as well leave him there, seeing as he was so comfy, and turned to walk off and get a blanket for him, but she was stopped as Tamaki suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Haruhi, are you done now?" he mumbled sleepily as he pulled her into his lap.

Haruhi shrieked in surprise and slapped him lightly. " **You were playing possum**!" she accused loudly while Tamaki chuckled, wrapping his arms around her in a hug, despite her wriggling to get away.

" **No, I was really asleep!** " he protested, still laughing.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Sure you were… hey, what's that?" she asked, noticing the book in his lap.

"Oh… **it's a 'married life for husbands' kind of book.** "

Haruhi gaped at her boyfriend in astonishment. "I… what? **Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?** " she stammered, blushing as she realised the hypocrisy of the statement considering she was seven months pregnant. She hoped he wasn't having any more ideas about proposing. He knew she didn't want to get married just because of the baby and she hoped he remembered what happened the last time.

Tamaki just smirked. " **Point: positively contribute to the house-work. Point: do not neglect to show affection daily in life.** "

Haruhi blushed. " **Enough already. Marriage is far away in the future…** you know that right?" she asked, a little worriedly.

Tamaki nodded with a small sort of smile. "Still, it's good to do thorough research. Now – **point: do not forget to give a kiss everyday."**

Haruhi rolled her eyes, leaning into the kiss as she mused the ridiculousness of her life.

* * *

 **Quick note, in case people start telling me I'm wrong – I read on an Australian website that the minimum age to fly is 2 weeks old, thought it varies from place to place and what airline you're using. But surprisingly (to me at least) the main concern and reason for the age restriction is germs from other passengers as children have a weaker immune system. So since this was the minimum age for a regular airline, I figured since they're using Tamaki's private planes it would be fine since there are no other passengers for the baby to get germs from.**

 **So, part 1 is nearly over, and I have part 2 planned out to be around 20 chapters (still subject to change), and I am so excited for you to read the remaining chapters! Just a warning though, there a bit of a time skip between this chapter and the next.**

 **Thanks so much for reading, please review!**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Yaly.97cello – thank you so much, and yeah Tamaki is finally becoming more mature! I do aim to get the same length of chapters but sometimes it just doesn't fit or the events are so disconnected it feels weird, but I do aim to make them as lengthy as possible without all the waffle aha. I hope you liked this chapter just as much!**

 **Krys2007 – aw thank you so much! I was so excited to finally write about Ranka and Tamaki's first in person meeting and I'm glad you liked it! And yes, there will be a birth chapter which I can't wait to show you! Enjoy the rest of your week hon.**


	21. Chapter 21

**6 weeks later**

The last few weeks had passed in the blink of an eye, and Haruhi had found herself becoming increasingly irritable with the inconvenience of pregnancy. While Tamaki did his best to comfort her, all she wanted was to give birth and meet her daughter.

It was the accursed pregnancy that was keeping her up so late and waking her up so early, sleep almost elusive enough to simulate life with a newborn. It was only around 5am when Haruhi was awakened by the gentle movements in her belly.

Figuring she wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon, Haruhi wiggled out of Tamaki's arms, mindful of waking him and waddled out of the room.

As she exited the door, she let her hand run over the bassinet she and Tamaki (well, more Tamaki since he had refused to let her do any work) had pieced together back when they first bought it. They had lined it with white sheets and a fluffy pink blanket Tamaki had found to match the teddy bear Mori had bought the baby so long ago for Haruhi's baby shower. Now the bassinet stood there at the foot of her bed, almost hauntingly empty.

The brunette shook her head and left the bedroom. She made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of water in an attempt to wake herself up.

It was times like this, early in the morning before the sun had rose, when she found herself doing a completely mundane thing when life felt the most strange, as she realised there was a countdown to how long she'd be able to do these things in peace. It was strange to think that in a few weeks she'd have a baby to take care of…

"Haruhi?" the young girl turned as she snapped out of her trance.

"Oh, morning Tamaki. I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Tamaki leaned against the wall, Antoinette by his side, as he yawned. "Yeah, sort of – you left me all alone and took the heat with you!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, sorry."

Tamaki gave her a coy smile. "I think you should make it up to me…" he suggested seductively.

Haruhi blushed and moved back against the kitchen counter as Tamaki moved towards her in a flash. "What do you think your punishment should be, hmm?"

Haruhi turned her face away from her tall boyfriend. "Tamaki… stop…"

"But I want a kiss from my queen" Tamaki pouted.

Haruhi blushed. "I… I haven't brushed my teeth yet and neither have you, that's gross!"

Tamaki rolled his eyes. "I don't care, I want a kissss, please!"

Haruhi groaned and gave in, moving her lips towards him to accept his kiss.

Tamaki bent down to meet her lips and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling them closer. Haruhi let herself be pulled in by the tall teenager and returned his hug, pulling the two of them as close as they could get with her baby bump. The fact was accentuated when Haruhi felt a sharp kick in her abdomen.

"O-ow" she breathed, a little hazily.

Tamaki pulled away instantly. "What is it?"

"I um, I'm not sure. I think the baby kicked me, but it felt different than before… harder…"

Tamaki frowned, confused. "Well it is about time for breakfast, maybe she's hungry?" he suggested.

Haruhi chuckled. The pain had passed quickly, and she hadn't eaten yet, so she probably should eat something, even if she wasn't hungry for the sake of the baby. It was as good an answer as any.

Tamaki smiled and held out his hand. "Come on Haruhi, my princess needs some food!"

Haruhi laughed a little and took Tamaki's hand as he pulled her into the kitchen in search of something to eat.

"So, my darling, what would you li-"

"Oh!" Haruhi gasped, her hand flying to her midriff as she felt a sharp sensation in the area.

"-ke? … Haruhi are you okay?"

The brunette frowned. "I… yeah. I think… no, I'm fine."

The feeling had gone as quickly as it came and Haruhi decided it was probably nothing.

Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "You sure? If somethings wrong then I want to know, the baby-"

"I'm fine." Haruhi interrupted. "I thought I felt something, but I think it was just a kick."

Tamaki raised an eyebrow, sceptical but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright… well, what do you want to do today?"

Haruhi shrugged and said, "I don't have any plans."

It was true. Ever since school had finished, the couple had nothing to fill their time anymore and so their endless free time had quickly turned into a waiting game for the baby's birth.

"Would you like to do something then?"

Haruhi paused before shaking her head. "I don't want to be up on my feet for too long; I get tired far too quickly now" she said with a small frown.

"Oh right…" Tamaki quickly gave her a lopsided grin. "So… movies?"

The two settled in the living room and began debating on which film to watch, eventually settling on Tamaki's first choice, some romantic comedy 'Life As We Know It' which Haruhi disgruntledly agreed to. The movie was a failure, being heart-warming but rendering Tamaki to tears and making Haruhi run through a list of awful situations in which she would have to choose someone other than herself or Tamaki to raise her daughter.

The worst part was that halfway through the film the random pains started up again and Haruhi found herself curling up to try to calm her aching body to no avail. As if sensing her pain, Antoinette trotted into the room and made herself comfortable at Haruhi's feet, resting her head in her master's girlfriends lap.

Tamaki complained about the betrayal for a good five minutes before Haruhi distracted him by suggesting a lighter movie. So, to brighten the mood, the two started watching classic Disney movies in chronological order, starting with Snow White.

The movies were wonderfully nostalgic, even in English, but Haruhi was still finding difficulty getting comfortable, and ended up practically laying across Tamaki (which he teased her relentlessly for) while enduring the pain.

As the third movie ended, Haruhi sat up, hoping that the pains were the result of hunger rather than the other, scarier possibility of being in labour three weeks early.

"Haruhi, what movie do you want to watch next?" Tamaki called from the living room as she was preparing their lunches.

"Oh, I d-don't mind" she stammered as she felt another stabbing pain.

"You alright?" Tamaki looked up in concern.

"Uh yeah…"

Tamaki instantly jumped up from the sofa to join Haruhi in the kitchen.

"Here, I'll make lunch. You go sit down." He didn't give her a chance to protest, quickly covering her mouth with a kiss.

Still in pain, Haruhi couldn't be bothered to argue and instead waited for him in the dining room.

Despite trying to find any excuse for the cramping pains, after Haruhi had eaten lunch she was forced to eliminate the possibility of hunger and resigned herself to the fact she was going to have her baby early.

With another, slightly harsher pain Haruhi squeaked a little and held her side.

"Haruhi! What's wrong, come on, you've been off all day, tell me what's wrong!" Tamaki blabbered as he ran to her side.

Haruhi took a deep breath, hoping to subside the pain as well as prepare for Tamaki to freak out. "I… I think I'm having contractions…"

Tamaki's eyebrows knitted together. "… Uh contractions…?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the hopeless boy. "It means the baby's coming" she told him bluntly.

Tamaki's eyes immediately widened and started panicking.

"W-what? But… but it's not time yet!"

"Well the baby has clearly decided otherwise."

Haruhi winced as she felt another sharp jab.

"Are you okay?" Tamaki asked as soon as he witnessed Haruhi inhale sharply.

"Yeah… it's… bearable" she said through gritted teeth. _Barely_.

Tamaki frowned and quickly wrapped his arm around her as a comfort.

Haruhi said nothing but leaned on Tamaki for support until the pain subsided.

"Should we go to the hospital?" Tamaki asked in concern.

Haruhi wanted to say no, knowing that labour could take days, but she was only beginning to realise how painful it would be and didn't want to risk missing the cut-off time for an epidural.

"I don't think… not yet… maybe just… call Kyoya. Find out what we should do."

Tamaki nodded and immediately started calling Kyoya while Haruhi sat on the couch, bracing for the next set of contractions.

"Kyoya!"

"What do you want, Tamaki?" Kyoya responded, already sounding exasperated from pure experience of his friend.

"The baby's coming – what do we do?!" Tamaki practically shouted, sounding panicked.

"Wait, what?"

"Haruhi says she's having contractions…"

"How far apart are they?" In preparation for the birth of his friend's child, Kyoya had arguably done a little more studying than the actual parents. Taking advantage of his family's hospitals and medical knowledge, Kyoya had done his best to read up on the actual birthing process. While he found the entire thing unnecessarily messy and frankly, gross, Kyoya had stuck it out long enough to find out enough about labour to help his friends.

Tamaki turned back to his girlfriend who now looked completely painless.

"Haruhi, do you know how far apart the contractions are?"

The brunette tilted her head to the side as she thought back. "Um… I'm not sure. Maybe twenty minutes? I'm not sure. All I know is that it hurts _a lot_ when it does happen."

Tamaki quickly relayed the information to her friends.

"Well… based on how far along she is, they might be practise contractions, but it's also a real possibility she is in labour. For now, just stay comfortable and track how far apart the contractions are. You won't need to get to the hospital until they're either ten minutes apart or her water breaks."

"Okay. Thank you Kyoya!"

"Just don't panic. I mean it Tamaki" Kyoya added warningly. "I have my family's best doctors standing by as we speak."

"I won't" Tamaki promised before hanging up.

"What did he say?" Haruhi asked.

"Basically, all there is to do is wait until she's ready" Tamaki said, sitting next to her and placing his hands on her stomach.

Haruhi sighed. "This sucks… well at least there's some time to prepare. We should probably pack a bag for the hospital."

"Oh right!" Tamaki quickly sat up and held out his hand for Haruhi to take. Haruhi accepted and followed him into the bedroom to pack up their things.

Haruhi grabbed some clothes for them each while Tamaki went for the baby essentials such as diapers, a car seat, a blanket and the cute little onesie he'd fallen in love with.

As time went on, Haruhi found herself more bored than anything and began dreading the next few hours as the pain escalated.

"You alright, Haruhi?" Tamaki inquired as he noticed Haruhi wincing.

"It hurts…" Haruhi tried not to whine as she held her stomach.

"Oh Haruhi…" Tamaki sighed as he moved to caress his girlfriend's face, feeling helpless. "Would you like to take a bath? I read in one of those baby books that it can relieve pain, and it's good to take a nap as well, so that you're well-rested later…" Haruhi flinched at the reminder that the pain was only going to get worse as labour continued.

"I-I think that's a good idea. It's better than doing nothing."

Tamaki quickly hopped up and disappeared into the bathroom to draw a warm bath before returning to help Haruhi into the bathroom.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Haruhi asked as she began to undress.

Tamaki blushed and turned on the spot. "I just don't want you to slip and hurt yourself. I'll turn around but I'm not leaving you."

Haruhi sighed. "I thought this was supposed to be relax- ow!"

Tamaki instantly turned when he heard Haruhi's squeak of pain, only to be hit in the face by her flying shirt.

"I said I didn't want you to watch me change!"

"You sounded like you were in pain, I thought you were hurt! Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes but refused to answer, instead continuing to undress.

When she slipped into the bath and disappeared under the bubbles, Tamaki deemed it safe to turn around again and sat on the floor besides Haruhi.

"Tamaki, you don't have to sit here with me…"

"No, I want to," Tamaki said firmly "I don't want to miss any part of this. I need to do my best and be here for my girls."

Haruhi rolled her eyes, even as his statement of 'my girls' set butterflies fluttering in her already disturbed stomach.

"You know this can take hours. I'm sure you'll get bored of being around me all day."

"Never!" Tamaki declared happily. "This is the most exciting day of my life!"

Haruhi couldn't help but feel warmed at the sweet statement as well as the tiniest bit resentful. "At least you can enjoy the whole day. I just want to hold my baby already" she blushed at the realisation she had revealed a little more than intended, but Tamaki seemed happy.

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this pain. Thank you" he said, adding a kiss to the forehead at the end of his statement.

Haruhi smiled as he leaned back and made herself comfortable.

"You know, this is actually helping. I feel a lot better now."

"No more pains?"

Haruhi shrugged. "Occasionally. They're coming back, but it's dulled. Bearable."

"Excellent."

Though he wouldn't dare say it to Haruhi, he was a little disappointed. While he hated the thought of Haruhi being put through so much pain, he really wanted to get the difficult part over with and meet his daughter. He was overcome with emotions and torn between being elated and petrified.

While Tamaki pondered his emotions, he hadn't noticed Haruhi slowly falling asleep in the bath.

"T-Tamaki," the brunette yawned "can you help me out? I think a nap is in order…"

Tamaki complied, rising to his feet and helping his girlfriend out of the bathtub before wrapping her up in a towel and helping her back to their bedroom.

As soon as Haruhi hit the bed, she fell asleep.

Tamaki stroked her face fondly before leaving the room for Haruhi to rest, in Antoinette's care of course, the golden retriever hopping up on the bed and curling towards Haruhi's body.

Despite the fact he was practically shaking over the impending birth, Tamaki did his best to think straight and busied himself for the next couple of hours by doing menial chores and mentally ticking off what they were prepared for.

He desperately wanted to call Kyoya again for some reassurance, but knew his friend would only be annoyed by the incessant calling, so settled on the next best (or worse) thing.

It was time to face his demons and call the one person who loved his girlfriend and daughter as much as he did: Ranka.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde grabbed his phone and dialled the transvestites number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello? Do you have any idea what time-"

"Ranka-san, it's me, Tamaki Suoh."

"Insect…" Tamaki could practically see the redhead's eyes narrowing at the thought of him. "What do you want? Is it Haruhi? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's asleep right now, but… well, she's in labour. We're having the baby today."

Ranka inhaled sharply. "I thought she wasn't due until later this month? So it's early – is she okay? Are you at the hospital?"

"No, it's too early for that, and Haruhi is fine, she's taking a nap right now. I just wanted to let you know she's having the baby today – or tomorrow, depending on how long it takes, I guess…"

"Right… well, there's nothing I can do so… sit tight. Get her to a hospital as soon as something happens! Call me when my grandchild is born! And if anything happens to either of them, I will hold you responsible!"

"I understand sir, and don't worry, I won't let anything happen to them!"

"Good… well, goodnight Suoh…"

"Goodnight Ranka-san." Tamaki hung up the phone with a sigh. He wondered if maybe he should call his own father but decided against it. As much as he hated to say it, Tamaki didn't trust his father not to tell his grandmother and wanted to remain calm during the birth.

However, he supposed he should call his mother.

Anne-Sophie had remained supportive of him and Haruhi throughout the pregnancy, and he knew that she had spoken to his girlfriend on the phone a few times, as well as himself.

When Tamaki had first found out about the pregnancy he was a little upset his mother hadn't told him, but as usual, Anne-Sophie had managed to reassure him, and their relationship had returned to normal.

Tamaki quickly dialled his mother's number and waited for a response.

"Hello? Tamaki?" Anne-Sophie answered in a heavy French accent.

"Yes, hi maman, it's me" Tamaki responded in French, not wanting there to be any miscommunication through the languages (even if his mother was basically fluent in Japanese).

"I've missed you Tamaki!" Anne-Sophie practically pouted. "You should call more often!"

"I… I know. I'm sorry maman, we've just been so busy…" Tamaki felt guilty about not calling his mother more often, especially since they'd been forced apart for so long.

"It's okay dear, I remember how it is! Now, how is Haruhi? And my grandchild?"

"Um… coming." Tamaki summarised shortly.

"Uh… what?" Anne-Sophie asked, confused.

"Haruhi is in labour."

"Whaaaaat!" Anne-Sophie screeched in a very Tamaki-like way. "Why didn't you open with that?!"

"Uh sorry… it's too early for us to go to the hospital, and she's actually taking a nap right now… but yeah, the baby is coming sooner rather than later."

Anne-Sophie screeched so loudly in excitement that Tamaki had to hold the phone away from his ear.

"Oh, Tamaki, I can't wait! My granddaughter is coming, I can't wait to see her and hold her and-"

"Tamaki!" Haruhi called suddenly from the bedroom, causing Tamaki to jumped and drop the phone.

"Merde. What is it?" he called back as he distractedly picked the phone back up, making sure it wasn't damaged.

"I-I think my water broke. We have to go to the hospital!"

Tamaki gaped. "Ah, maman, I have to go!"

* * *

 **This was really hard to write, so I hope it turned out ok!**

 **If you're all good little readers and leave some reviews for me to wake up to, I'll update early this week :D :p**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **MommaDiamond – thank you sooo much, you're too kind! I hope this was just the right amount of suspense before I introduce you all aha**

 **Yaly.97cello – I had the manga chapter planned from a while back and struggled for a while trying to fit it into the storyline but I really wanted it there so I'm glad it worked! That chapter was 8 months later in the manga, so 7 months since Haruhi got pregnant, hence the time skip! Thank you so much, I'm honoured that you consider this a 'sequel', though I completely don't deserve that honour aha**

 **DaughterOfLoki1 – yayyy my plan worked! I'm glad Tamaki is coming off as more mature, I really hoped that was being conveyed. Oh and fictional boys are waaay better, don't we all want one lmao**

 **Krys2007 – thank you so much for all your long reviews, I'm so happy to see you like the interactions between them all, I'm so excited to write more of that! I don't know about the difference of weight in gender either, but I think I've heard the same thing about girls being heavier before too. And don't take that line too seriously, I just wanted to put them back in character for a little bit aha, I love Haruhi's bluntness! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, all your questions will be answered in the next chapter**


	22. Chapter 22

When Haruhi had woken up, she'd been overcome with an excruciating pain she hoped to never feel again. While the previous contractions had been distracting, these ones were full on pain, rendering Haruhi unable to make the slightest of movements.

When she found that moving was too painful and felt the odd, slightly humiliating feeling of her water breaking, Haruhi had immediately called for Tamaki.

 _Its time_ was all Haruhi could think of through the spouts of blinding pain.

Tamaki rushed into the bedroom, the panic on his face clear as day. "Haruhi!"

"P-please. We need to go – go to the hospital…" talking wasn't so much painful, but difficult to articulate through the contractions when all Haruhi wanted to do was scream.

Tamaki looked pained just by seeing the state Haruhi was in, but did his best to keep it together.

"Okay, I know, I know" he said soothingly as Haruhi winced again. "I'll call the car around, here, grab my arm and we'll meet them out the front of the apartment."

Tamaki offered his arm, which Haruhi grabbed onto, but she stilled as he pulled her to her feet. Haruhi tried to step towards the door as Tamaki made his phone call to his personal valet, but every step was punctuated with a sharp stab to her abdomen.

"T-Tamaki…"

"What is it, mon ange?" Tamaki asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Can – I can't walk," she admitted with a blush "it hurts… a lot. Can you carry me? Please?" she blushed, phrasing it like a question, desperately hoping that he could in fact carry her and all of the extra weight she'd gained over the last eight months.

Without any hesitation, Tamaki swooped down and picked up his damsel in distress bridal style and carrier her down to the car without any complaints.

"To the hospital, sir?" the chauffeur confirmed.

"Obviously!" Haruhi snarled in her labour-induced snappiness. Tamaki looked surprised by her outburst, but stayed silent, simply grateful she hadn't chosen to take out her anger on him… yet.

After strapping them both in their seatbelts (while enduring yet another contraction Haruhi showed no intention of using her seatbelt, so Tamaki did it for her), Tamaki picked up the phone he had grabbed on the way out of the apartment and began texting Kyoya, alerting him of their departure.

It seemed that Kyoya worked fast, as when they reached the hospital, Tamaki saw a familiar person, one of Kyoya's staff hurry to the car with a wheelchair, presumably for Haruhi.

Haruhi mumbled something about being perfectly capable to walk before crying out at an attempt to exit the car and having Tamaki rush to her side and help her in the wheelchair.

"Thank you!" Tamaki called over his shoulder to the staff member, already pushing Haruhi into the hospital.

"This is so embarrassing!" Haruhi murmured under her breath as they entered the hospital.

Thankfully, she was spared the glances of onlookers inside as the waiting room was suspiciously empty, save for one equally suspicious-looking person.

"K-Kyoya! What are you doing here?" Tamaki asked, genuinely surprised.

The black-haired boy simply rolled his eyes. "I came her to ensure Haruhi's health the moment you told me she was in labour. I've been overseeing her rooms preparation and going through the doctor's files. Everything seems to be top-notch and I am certain she'll be perfectly fine."

Tamaki gaped at his friend. "I- thank you Kyoya!" he took his friend by surprise by assaulting him with a sudden bear hug.

"Oof!" Kyoya stumbled a little in a very undignified manner.

"Tamaki!" much to Kyoya's relief, it was Haruhi who ended the assault. "In case you'd forgotten, I'm about to give birth to your child!" she said through gritted teeth.

Tamaki turned red and immediately returned to pushing her wheelchair along the corridor. "O-of course!"

Once they reached the room, the pair were quickly ushered in by doctors preparing for the delivery.

"Please tell me its not too late for an epidural!" Haruhi practically begged as she endured another long contraction.

The doctor shook his head. "No, that's perfectly safe."

Tamaki winced as he watched the doctor inject the biggest needle he'd ever seen into his girlfriends back, but it actually seemed to calm Haruhi rather than cause pain.

"Better?" he asked nervously.

"Ah, yeah" Haruhi said, though the pain was only slightly dulled, it was enough for her not to completely lose her head.

"Lay back" one of the nurses said, gently pushing Haruhi back into the pillows.

Haruhi glared at the woman but did settle against the headboard.

Tamaki found himself feeling completely out of place as doctors rushed around the room preparing for the birth. Haruhi was actually going through the birth. And he was just standing there, feeling quite useless.

"Tamaki?" the blonde turned away from the doctors to look at his girlfriend. "You look a little pale."

Tamaki smiled and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I think that's a little backwards… shouldn't I be the one comforting you right now?"

Haruhi gave him a pained sort of smile. "I'm okay… in pain, but I know it will be worth it. Now, are you okay? I'm worried you're going to faint."

"Of course… just nervous about – you know, becoming a father and all… but it's nothing compared to what you must be feeling."

Haruhi shrugged. "it's not – ah!"

As Haruhi fell back into the headboard, a doctor rushed over to make some notes. "I know it hurts, just remember to breathe sweetheart. A lot of women find it helps if you hold something, perhaps your husband would offer you his hand" she suggested kindly.

Tamaki blushed, upset at himself for not taking initiative in the first place. He held out his hand for Haruhi to grab, and instantly winced as he felt her grip.

They endured the pain together for the next few minutes while the doctor stayed nearby, offering her encouragement.

"10 minutes. Let us know when you experience another contraction, so we can monitor your progress" she told the couple before bustling off to confer with her colleagues.

"Are you okay?" Tamaki asked.

"Brilliant." Haruhi breathed shortly.

Tamaki decided that this was one of those situations where it was better that he didn't talk too much (a definite challenge for him) and opted to simply stroke her hair instead.

Haruhi, grateful for Tamaki's cooperativeness, ignored the rest of the people in the room and tried to focus on simply breathing.

"You two doing alright?" a nurse asked as some time passed.

"Oh, yes, wonderful!" Haruhi practically spat before Tamaki could say anything.

Slightly embarrassed by his girlfriend's uncharacteristic outburst, but not wanting to anger her further as she gave birth to his child, Tamaki stayed silent.

Thankfully, the nurse didn't seem to take offense. "Don't worry, I'm sure your little one will show up soon enough. I know it can be a frustrating and painful wait, but just hang in there."

Haruhi just rolled her eyes at the nurse as Tamaki thanked her, moments before another contraction hit.

This time, the teenager actually cried out in pain.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki yelped as she squeezed his hand.

Their doctor returned quickly and started trying to calm the soon-to-be parents. "Don't scream sweetheart, you need to conserve your energy."

"It's… hard" Haruhi choked out.

"I know" the other woman said comfortingly. "We're going to check how dilated you are and see how far away you are."

Haruhi frowned, feeling a little awkward as the doctor checked her dilation, but grateful that the contraction passed.

"Okay sweetheart, we're not quite there yet. You're just going to have to wait a little longer."

Haruhi practically whined, beginning to feel a little hysterical. "I can't wait any longer… it hurts so bad…"

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look as Tamaki attempted to calm her.

"Haruhi… you're one of the strongest people I know. You _can_ do this, and you're doing it now. We just have to wait a little longer than expected. But at the end, we get to meet our baby girl" Tamaki's eyes were shining as he tried to bring excitement back to Haruhi.

Haruhi made a small noise of acknowledgement, blinking back tears as she did so.

As time passed, doctors flew in and out, but the young couple ignored everyone, trying to focus on just themselves. As night fell, Haruhi actually managed to fall asleep between contractions, and Tamaki took the time to go for a quick trip to the vending machines down the hall.

He felt guilty about leaving Haruhi in the room alone, but he was also starving and didn't want to be completely exhausted when the baby was born.

As Tamaki left the room, he was instantly swarmed by his friends.

"Is the baby here?"

"What's going on?"

"Is Haru-chan okay?"

Tamaki blinked. "Uh… you're all still here?"

The twins rolled their eyes creepily in unison. "Of course we're still here. We need to make sure Haruhi is okay!"

"Is the baby here, Tama-chan?" Honey-senpai asked, wide-eyed.

"Um, no, not yet. Haruhi's actually sleeping right now – she's so tired. I was just coming out to get a quick snack."

The other host club members groaned in unison.

"Come _on,_ " Hikaru complained, "this is definitely your kid, Tamaki-senpai, so difficult."

Tamaki rolled his eyes at the twin, far too tired to argue at that point. "If its such an inconvenience, you can go home. I'm getting some food and then going back in there."

Tamaki felt like a zombie as he walked towards the vending machines, not noticing that Kyoya had been walking alongside him.

"Tamaki-"

Taken aback, Tamaki squealed and dropped his newly-bought snacks.

"Kyoya! How long have you been standing there?"

"I've been with you the whole time." Kyoya raised an eyebrow "you really are out of it, aren't you?"

Tamaki shrugged. "I'm a little shaky, I suppose."

Kyoya nodded. "It's understandable … how is Haruhi?"

Tamaki bit his lip. "She's… in pain. She doesn't want to show it though. I just want this to be over so she doesn't have to go through the pain."

"Well unfortunately there's not a way around that." Kyoya said bluntly.

"Yeah…" Tamaki sighed. "Kyoya, I have to go back in there… I don't want to miss anything."

"Of course… Tamaki, good luck" he told the other man sincerely.

Tamaki nodded. "Thank you" he said softly before turning back to the room.

As he entered the room, Tamaki couldn't help but feel like he was taking his literal first steps to fatherhood and couldn't decide if he was terrified or overjoyed.

Haruhi was still asleep and the room was empty, so Tamaki quietly dug into his snacks and tried to distract himself by fiddling with the hem of his clothing and counting the tiles on the ceiling.

After what felt like forever, Haruhi finally stirred, a small whine the first indicator of her consciousness.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki whispered.

"Ugh… Tamaki…"

"Did you enjoy your nap? How are you feeling?"

Haruhi winced. "I – agh!" almost instantly, Haruhi snatched Tamaki's hand and squeezed so tight Tamaki swore a few of his fingers broke.

"O-ow" he tried his best not to complain, knowing it would anger Haruhi, but failed in his secrecy.

Haruhi glared at her idiotic boyfriend. "Oh, you're in pain, are you?" she hissed.

"S-sorry!" Tamaki squeaked.

As Haruhi focused on cutting off his circulation, Tamaki reached over the hospital bed and pressed the buzzer to summon a nurse.

"I… I think it's finally time" Haruhi said through gritted teeth. "I feel l-like I need to push…"

Tamaki gulped, feeling sweat beginning to gather in his hairline from the stress. "O-okay, lets just try to hold on until a doctor comes, okay?"

Haruhi didn't respond, choosing to squeeze his hand instead.

"Ms Fujioka?" moments later, Kyoya's team of doctors returned, seemingly ready for action.

While one of the doctors checked to see if she was ready, the others were fiddling with various instruments. Haruhi vaguely recognised a weight station being placed next to them, along with a clear cot for the baby.

"Okay Miss Fujioka, it looks like you're ready to start pushing!" the main doctor told her kindly. "I want you to go on my count, okay?"

Haruhi groaned. "But I-I have to now-"

"You have to wait, sweetheart. Alright, on three… one… two… three."

Haruhi shouted nothing as she put all her effort into pushing.

As his girlfriend struggled, Tamaki tried not to wince as his hand was crushed. "It's okay Haruhi… you can do it…" he said hopelessly as he noticed the tears in Haruhi's eyes. "Come on, don't cry mon cheri…"

Haruhi didn't answer, favouring pained sounds over words.

"Keep pushing sweetheart, don't give up!" the doctor encouraged.

"I-I can't…"

"Yes, you can, you've been doing it all day, this is just the climax. Just think about your reward."

Haruhi groaned even as she shot daggers at the doctor delivering her baby.

"Keep pushing!"

Haruhi actually sobbed as she continued to push, every action feeling as though it was beyond her limits.

"The baby's crowning. Come on darling, just a little more!"

"She's nearly here, Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed, desperately trying to comfort Haruhi. "It'll just take a little more effort."

"Easy for you to say!" Haruhi snapped.

"Okay, Haruhi, just one more big push and you'll have your baby. You can do that, can't you?"

Haruhi cried out, desperate for the pain to dissipate. Her thought process was simply _it's nearly over_ at that point.

"Quickly sweetheart, push!"

With an anguished scream, Haruhi pushed once more.

And finally, _finally_ , they heard the sound of their baby crying.

* * *

 **Thank you guys so much for your kind reviews, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Oh my gosh you guys, I reached OVER 100 reviews! Aghh, I love you so much, thank you for all your support over the past few months, you're absolutely amazing. Sorry that I haven't been responding to reviews, I will do that in the next chapter – speaking of which…**

 **There will be no new chapter this Friday, as I'll need to put this on a short hiatus while I plan and churn out a few more chapters of part 2. The next few weeks are going to be hectic for me, with finishing the school term, facing deadlines, going on a holiday, and then going to a con. I really want to get back to my normal schedule ASAP but at this point I couldn't tell you when that will be. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope these last few chapters have given you some closure!**

 **I hope you like it, please review!**

* * *

 _With an anguished scream, Haruhi pushed once more._

 _And finally,_ finally _, they heard the sound of their baby crying._

* * *

As Haruhi fell back into the bed, exhausted, she vaguely registered Tamaki standing up to look at the screaming infant that the nurses were cleaning up on the weight station.

"Congratulations!" one of the nurses said as she handed over the newly-clean baby.

Tamaki took the small bundle shakily, his eyes instantly gluing to his newborn daughter.

She was perfect. Still wailing her little lungs out as her father held her shakily, she hadn't opened her eyes yet, but Tamaki already knew she was the most beautiful thing he's ever laid his eyes on. Tears began to drip down his face without even realising it and he found himself being helped back into a chair by a nurse.

Tamaki swallowed as he tried his first attempt at getting a baby to stop crying. "Shhh" he almost sobbed, still focused on the bundle in his arms. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm here, I'm here... Daddy's here... You're here... Mon Dieu..."

"T-Tamaki?" Finally, the new teen dad peeled his eyes away from his daughter to face the woman of his dreams.

In all honesty, Haruhi looked horrible. Her face was plastered with sweat, her hair pushed out of the way and looking completely exhausted, yet it was still the second most beautiful thing he'd seen - after his beautiful new princess of course.

"Sh-she's here Haruhi" he held out their daughter for her to see, and he noticed Haruhi's eyes instantly welling up.

"She's beautiful..."

"Mummy's here, _mon ange_ "

Haruhi held her arms out to hold her daughter and Tamaki stood up to carefully place their daughter in her mother's arms.

Instantly, he wanted to cry. The woman he loved holding his little girl with so much love... They truly were a family now.

In the background, the two could hear the nurses noting the births details. "Time of birth: 2.12am, 12th of August. Birth weight: 2.5 kilograms."

"2.5 kilograms?" Haruhi repeated in shock. "Is that all?"

The nurse smiled sweetly at her. "It's fine, a lot of premature babies can weigh a lot less. She's perfectly healthy, but it's lucky her lungs were fully developed."

Once they had established that their daughter was healthy, Tamaki turned back to look at the fidgeting baby.

Haruhi felt like bursting into tears. All the hours of excruciating labour were completely worth it. Now she had a perfect, healthy little angel in her arms that was half her, half the man she loved.

While Haruhi wanted to hold her baby forever, being in labour for 18 hours was finally taking its toll and she felt herself falling asleep.

As Haruhi started to drift off to sleep, Tamaki carefully took his daughter from her arms and cradled her in the crook of his elbow. The little girl was so small and helpless, he couldn't help the instant urge to love and protect her that washed over him.

Like her mother, the baby quickly fell asleep, and so Tamaki placed her in the little cot next to Haruhi's hospital bed.

With nothing, or rather no one to occupy his time, Tamaki supposed he better let the rest of the host club know what was happening - after all, they'd stayed at the hospital overnight to see how things would pan out.

After kissing his girlfriend on the forehead and gently stroking his daughters face as a good night (or rather, morning), Tamaki left the private room to find the host club members waiting in the hallway.

"Boss!" The twins shouted together as Tamaki emerged from the room.

"What's happening? The nurses wouldn't tell us anything" Kyoya said, sounding disgruntled at the lack of information.

"Is the baby here?" Honey asked.

Tamaki beamed at all of them. "Yeah, she's fine, they're both fine. It's a girl!"

The five other men cheered, despite already knowing the sex beforehand, and began congratulating Tamaki.

"How's Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.

"She's alright, just exhausted. She's asleep right now, so is the baby."

"Can we meet her?" Honey asked excitedly.

"Later, Mitskuni" Mori told him.

"I'm not quite sure what the protocol is now," Tamaki admitted nervously "the baby is born so do we leave now or what?"

"No. Kotoko was born early and Haruhi is young so the doctors will want to keep them under observation for at least the rest of the day." Kyoya informed them all.

Tamaki pouted. He wanted to take his baby home and give her lots of cuddles and presents and love straight away, but he supposed the overbearing parenting could wait another 24 hours. He'd waited eight months already after all.

"Fiiiiine." It came out like a whine anyway. "I have to make a few phone calls, I promised Ranka and my mother I would let them know when the baby was born. I shouldn't be long" he let them know before walking a little down the hall for some privacy.

He decided to call Ranka first and get the shouting out of the way.

"Insect?" He responded immediately. "Is the baby here? Is everything okay?

"Yes, Haruhi gave birth at 2am our time. It's a girl, she's healthy and adorable and sweet and perfect!"

Ranka let out a sigh of relief.

"Of course, of course. Who does she look like?"

"Haruhi mostly" Tamaki said. He wasn't disappointed that his firstborn didn't inherit many of his features. Another Haruhi sounded perfect to him. "She was her eyes, her face, her lips... She has blonde hair and my skin tone, that's about it."

"Yes, well, we don't need any more of you. We can always dye her hair brown I suppose" Ranka lamented. "How is Haruhi? I want to talk to my daughter."

"She's taking a well-deserved nap. I'll call you back when she wakes up" Tamaki promised.

"Thank you. And I'm expected pictures of my grandchild, Suoh!" Ranka shouted before hanging up the phone.

Tamaki couldn't help but smile at the phone. While Ranka had kept up the pretence of hating talking to him, it was clear he had been up waiting to hear news about the baby and was pleased everything was okay and his daughter and granddaughter were healthy.

He typed in his mother's familiar number and hoped she picked up.

"Tamaki?"

"Hello, Maman."

"Tamaki, what happened? You just hung up on me!" Anne-Sophie accused. "Is everything okay?"

Tamaki couldn't help but grin like a fool. "Yes, everything is great… fantastic… Maman, the baby's here. You have a granddaughter…"

On the other line, Anne-Sophie couldn't help but squeal.

"Oh! Congratulations, mon petite garçon! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thank you maman!"

"How is Haruhi? You sounded quite worried about her earlier."

"Ah, she's asleep, but I think she's alright."

"Yes, well she deserves a rest, poor girl. Give her and my granddaughter my love and a kiss, alright? I'll talk to you later, mon ange."

"Okay, goodbye maman."

* * *

When Tamaki returned to the room, Haruhi was awake again and holding the baby close to her, making cooing noises that the infant seemed to be responding to.

The teenager and baby didn't seem to hear him entering the room, not responding and so he supposed he should've been a little more tactful when he decided to announce his prescience.

Not wanting to disturb the cute scene, Tamaki pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photograph. With the sound and flash on.

Haruhi blinked and turned as she saw the bright light at the same time Kotoko started crying at the rude interruption.

"Tamaki!"

"I'm sorry!" Tamaki apologised, moving towards the bed as Haruhi began to rock the baby in her arms.

"It's okay, it's okay, shhh. It's just your daddy being silly..."

"I'm sorry, mon ange" Tamaki said to the little girl, reaching forward to kiss her tiny head.

Haruhi sighed despite her smile as she handed Kotoko to Tamaki.

"I can't believe she's actually here… I have a daughter…" Tamaki marvelled at the realisation as Haruhi chuckled.

"I know… I can't believe I just gave birth… and now she's here… she's perfect…"

Tamaki couldn't help but agree.

"Oh!" Tamaki suddenly remember his promise to his mother and gave each of the girls a kiss on the forehead. "That was from my maman. That's your grandma, chéri!" he said, stroking his daughter's hair.

Haruhi smiled. "I'll have to tell her thank you…"

Tamaki nodded, and suddenly remember another important detail they should have already discussed. "We have to sign her birth certificate soon… are we going with Kotoko Suoh or Kotoko Fujioka?"

Haruhi pondered the question for a moment. "Well… why not both? I think Kotoko Fujioka-Suoh sounds just fine. And I'll be hyphenating my name when we get married so it makes sense."

Tamaki grinned at her cheekily. "Was that a proposal, Miss Fujioka?" he asked teasingly.

To his surprise, Haruhi simply laughed at him.

Tamaki turned back to look at the baby in his arms as she began to move her tiny arms around in discomfort. "Hey… what's wrong, little one?"

"Is she being fussy?" Haruhi asked.

"Yeah. I don't know – oh" Tamaki couldn't help but laugh as he felt Kotoko moving around looking for something that wasn't there. "I think she's hungry" he held her out to Haruhi who blushed crimson, but took the baby.

"Tamaki! … um, one of the nurses showed me how to… ugh, take her back, this is awkward" she as she struggled to undo her nightgown with just one free hand.

Tamaki chuckled at their obvious newness to parenthood as he held Kotoko while Haruhi partially undressed. Giving her back, Tamaki turned his back, feeling a little awkward as Haruhi began to feed their baby for the first time.

"You know… the rest of the club wants to meet her. They've been waiting with us all night…"

Haruhi nodded as Kotoko ceased her feeding. "They've waited long enough, I guess we should let them in."

At her approval, Tamaki made his way across the room to open the door while Haruhi made herself decent.

"Tamaki!"

Immediately, he was assaulted by the five other host club members crowding around the door in anticipation.

"Haruhi's awake. Would you like to meet the baby?"

The hosts agreed enthusiastically as Tamaki let them into the room.

"Haru-chan! Congratulations!" Honey burst out as he bounded over to Haruhi's hospital bed.

"Thank you, Honey-senpai" Haruhi said softly, not really looking up from the baby in her arms.

The other hosts started offering the couple various forms of congratulations, some more sincere than others, Tamaki noted as he glared at the twins.

"Guys, this is Kotoko" Haruhi introduced her friends to her daughter, picking her up to face the others. Kotoko blinked under the stare of the tall strangers before giving them a sort of smile.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Honey exclaimed giddily.

"Oh good, she looks like Haruhi!" Hikaru stated happily.

"Shame about the hair though" Kaoru added.

"True, but we can always dye that."

"Why does everyone have such a problem with my hair?" Tamaki whined. "It's okay darling, we look stunning!" he told his daughter, running a hand through her few blonde locks.

"She is quite endearing" Kyoya reluctantly admitted, Mori nodding along.

"Would you like to hold her?" Haruhi offered, holding out the baby.

Kyoya's eyes bulged. "Er- no, I can't say I-" as he protested, Haruhi straightened up and placed Kotoko in Kyoya's arms.

The teenager went completely stiff and looked down at his best friend's child in horror.

Haruhi couldn't help but laugh.

"Who would've thought, the mighty Kyoya-senpai and shadow king reduced to nothing by the boss' baby!" the twins trilled in unison.

Kyoya sent them a terrifying glare, but the effect was somewhat muffled by the baby in his arms.

"Someone else take her…" Kyoya sighed, accepting defeat as he shuffled the infant.

To everyone's surprise, it was Mori who stepped forward to take Kotoko off Kyoya's hands. Haruhi supposed his love of animals must have extended to children as well, as Kotoko happily fell into his chest, practically falling asleep already.

Of course, Honey wanted to meet the baby next and had her carefully placed in his arms momentarily before the twins started complaining about wanting to hold her, and soon enough it felt like they were playing a game of pass the parcel with a baby.

As Kotoko seemed undisturbed, Haruhi and Tamaki stepped aside and simply let their friends get acquainted with the child until Kotoko started to show signs of fussiness.

Tamaki quickly intercepted the twins and took Kotoko from them claiming she'd had enough excitement for one day and needed a nap.

The comment seemed to be all the hosts needed to realise how tired they all really were, and so they were shepherd out by Kyoya one by one.

"Hey, Kyoya!" Tamaki called out just before Kyoya left. "Thank you."

The black-haired boy simply rolled his eyes. "It was nothing" he said before shutting the door behind him.

Tamaki turned to Haruhi, about to complain about the rudeness, only to realise that she was fast asleep. He smiled down at his girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss before placing Kotoko in her cot.

They certainly had been through enough excitement for one day.

And while he knew they had a long, difficult road ahead of them, looking at his adorable new family, Tamaki just knew they could make it down that road together.

* * *

 **END OF PART 1**


	24. Chapter 24

**Look who's back! Thank you all for waiting so long for this update xx**

 **Happy 12** **th** **of August** **(it's 1am here!)**

* * *

When they had first been released from the hospital, Haruhi couldn't believe that the staff were actually letting two teenagers take a baby home and was half-expecting to be stopped on the way out, but when they made it to their car successfully, a wave of fear overtook her as reality set in. This was her life now. She had a baby. She was a mother, and the tiny child asleep in her arms was entirely dependent on her.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki spoke softly, careful not to wake the baby. "Are you okay?"

Haruhi didn't answer for a second. "I… I'm freaking out" she answered honestly. "I… this is real. We have a baby…"

As she gestured to the child in her lap, Tamaki's eyes followed hers as he reached out to stroke his daughters face affectionately.

"I know," he whispered, "I'm terrified. But I've also never been so dedicated or in love with anyone. I promise I'm going to do this right." He spoke with such conviction as he gazed down at his daughter that Haruhi couldn't help but feel reassured.

Before the driver pulled onto the road, Tamaki fixed Kotoko into the tiny baby seat they had installed in the car and took at least a dozen photos of the sleeping girl.

"Tamaki, stop, I don't want you to wake her up" Haruhi said firmly as the camera made kept making a loud clicking sound.

Almost as if to spite her warning, it wasn't this that woke up Kotoko, but a simple pothole in the road. As the car lurched, Kotoko's eyes slowly opened before she began whining – and then flat out crying.

"Oh no… it's okay, you're fine…" Haruhi cooed desperately, unsure of how to calm the screeching baby.

Kotoko didn't seem calmed at all by her mother's voice, instead choosing to squirm around in her car seat. Noticing this, Tamaki moved to unstrap her.

"Tamaki!" Haruhi scolded almost immediately. "What are you doing?"

Tamaki paused. "I thought it would help if she… what if she wanted to be held…"

"We're in a _car_ ," Haruhi stressed "if you take her out she might get hurt."

"Right…" Tamaki said, moving his hands off the straps but still on Kotoko, who was still crying. "I don't… I… how do we get her to stop crying?" he asked, a little helplessly.

Haruhi bit her lip, asking herself the exact same question.

She'd always kind of thought that those 'motherly instincts' would kick in after having a baby, and that she'd immediately know what to do, but in that moment, Haruhi had no idea how calm her baby.

"I don't know…" she answered honestly. "Maybe…"

Haruhi reached out for the baby and let Kotoko wrap her little fingers around her thumb, using an unnaturally high voice in an attempt to calm her. As Tamaki gave his baby the same amount of affection, Kotoko began to quieten as she recognised her parent's presence. It seemed the little girl just liked contact.

Needy little thing – just like her father, Haruhi noted dryly.

The three sat in silence until the driver pulled up to the block of apartments the couple had been living in alone for the past few months.

Tamaki refused to let Haruhi take any of their overnight bags or belongings, so while he unloaded the boot of the car, Haruhi worked on manoeuvring Kotoko out of the odd contraption which was the baby car seat.

Kotoko started fussing as Haruhi struggled with the car seat, filling her mother with a dread.

"Oh no – it's okay Kotoko, just give me a moment… shhh, it's okay baby…" finally, Haruhi managed to unstrap her daughter and pull her into her arms. She settled almost immediately.

"Oh, it's good to be home!" Tamaki declared as they walked up to the front door of Haruhi's apartment.

"I know, I can't wait to have a shower and climb into bed" Haruhi said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Tamaki murmured in agreement as he unlocked the front door.

"Welcome to your new home, Kotoko!"

Haruhi snorted. "Yes, well, not for – oh, Tamaki, hold Antoinette!" she demanded as Tamaki's enthusiastic dog bounded up to them happily.

Tamaki quickly grabbed Antoinette by the collar and practically pushed Haruhi and Kotoko in the building before joining them and shutting the door.

"We should probably introduce them, don't you think?" Tamaki said, still holding Antoinette back.

Haruhi looked down at the dog warily.

She knew Antoinette wasn't a violent dog, but she did tend to be overly rambunctious, to the point that it was highly likely she might accidentally hurt the newborn.

"Uh… I guess if we're careful and you hold Antoinette…" Haruhi compromised.

Tamaki agreed and started trying to pacify Antoinette while Haruhi carefully laid set Kotoko on the ground, still supporting her small body. Kotoko simply looked up at her mother with her big brown eyes almost asking a question. Haruhi simply smiled down at the little girl before facing her towards her father and dog.

"Antoinette, this is Kotoko. She's your baby sister" Tamaki said as he led a curious Antoinette towards his daughter and girlfriend.

Haruhi gave a look that clearly said 'really?'

Tamaki ignored it and focused on holding back Antoinette, lest the usually gentle dog decide she didn't like the tiny intruder.

"Good girl!" Tamaki praised the dog, stroking her soft coat as she nuzzled the newborn, who seemed strangely content with the situation.

It was sweet watching the dog and baby interact and there was a sense of normalcy in it that ignored the teenage parenthood aspect. It was refreshing.

Their first night alone with Kotoko was… an experience, to say the least. With the new-born waking up every few hours or so, both her parents were exhausted by the time morning came around and walked around like zombies as they tried to figure out the best strategies to bathe, feed and care for their new daughter.

While the two knew they were far too young to be dealing with such a situation, Tamaki and Haruhi easily fell into a caffeine-induce routine in which they would care for the baby, pack for the upcoming flight come, and in Tamaki's case, organise university arrangements.

The next two weeks quickly became the most stressful time in Haruhi's life, and she couldn't say she was sad to leave their boxed-up apartment at the end of the month.

While the rest of the host club had returned to Japan soon after Kotoko's birth, the parents of the child had been advised to stay in Boston until Kotoko was deemed healthy enough to fly. After begging the landlord for some sympathy and gradually sending their belongings overseas, the two had managed to survive the extra time in America and were anxious to return home.

The flight had been a challenge itself, as Tamaki and Haruhi had tried to stay up all the night before with Kotoko so that she would sleep on the aeroplane and not suffer from jetlag, but their plan was for naught, as Haruhi woke up the next morning curled up next to her boyfriend who was holding their daughter to his chest, both of them fast asleep. Realising they were late, Haruhi had quickly shaken Tamaki awake and the two rushed to pack the last essentials and get ready for the airport.

Thankfully they were able to surpass security as they were using Tamaki's private plane, and not long after the family were in the air. Unfortunately, the couple had completely forgotten about the struggles of travelling with children, and spent a whole hour comforting Kotoko, who was crying in pain from her popped ears. After that, the three were wide awake, and Haruhi was dreading the awful jetlag and trying to get Kotoko back on a regular sleeping schedule.

When the fourteen-hour plane ride finally ended, it was evening in Japan, but by then the three of them were ready for a nap – especially Kotoko, who had managed to fall asleep before the landing jolted her awake.

"It is now safe to exit the plane. Welcome back to Japan, master Tamaki" the pilot told them, eyeing Haruhi and Kotoko as he opened the door for them.

"It feels so good to be home!" Tamaki announced as they descended off the plane, spotting the car in the distance which would take them home. "I missed Japan so much! And we need to take Kotoko to see everything! The temples, the cherry blossoms-"

"It's August Tamaki, we'll have to wait a while to see the cherry- what's that?"

The blonde frowned as he recognised his phones ringtone and grabbed the thing out of his pocket. "Ah… it's my father."

Oh god. Haruhi whitened. News from Tamaki's father was never good. _Maybe he's just welcoming us back to the country_ , she told herself hopelessly.

Tamaki clicked the answer button and took Haruhi's arm, continuing to guide them to the awaiting car.

"Father?"

"Hello Tamaki. Am I right in saying you're back in Japan?" his father answer, his tone unpromising.

"Uh, yes, we just landed. We're about to take the car back to Haruhi's home."

"Your grandmother wants to see you."

Tamaki paled. Before he'd left for the start of the school year, he and his grandmother's relationship had improved significantly, but he hadn't really spoken to her at all since he left and she hadn't reached out to ask about her illegitimate great-grandchild.

"She didn't tell me what she wanted to talk to you about, but I'm sure it's fairly obvious." Yuzuru continued, "Is it possible for you to escort Haruhi and the baby home and then come straight to the mansion?"

"I… yes, I suppose so" Tamaki sighed. He really didn't want to leave Haruhi and Kotoko alone straight away, but he'd been avoiding his grandmother for well over nine months now. It was time to face the music.

"Thank you, Tamaki. I'll be seeing you soon, I expect."

"Bye dad…"

Haruhi turned to look at him, eyes wide and worried as she held onto a now sleeping Kotoko. "What is it?"

"My grandmother wants to talk to me. I'm sorry, I have to go to the mansion. We'll drop you two off at your home first, I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire…"

"I guess we knew it was going to happen soon," Haruhi said, looking down at the baby as she spoke, "but are you sure you have to go today? I mean, we just got back and-"

"Trust me, there's no point in arguing" Tamaki said in a bleak voice. "I'm sorry"' he added quickly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "I'll come back as soon as this 'meeting' is over."

Haruhi sighed. "Fine."

* * *

The driver barely stopped in time for Tamaki to say his goodbyes to Haruhi and Kotoko before they were being rushed out of the car and left on the pavement outside the apartment building. Annoyed, but knowing she couldn't really fault Tamaki for his staff's rudeness, she climbed the stairs to her apartment with Kotoko is one hand and her bag in the other.

Realising a little too late that she didn't have any keys (and couldn't have reached them with her arms full anyway), Haruhi simply hoped her father was home before knocking on the door.

It was less than a second later that Ranka flung the door open.

"Haruhi!" he exclaimed, rushing forward to throw his arms around her and Kotoko.

"Hey dad…"

"I missed you! Oh, Haruhi, she's beautiful…" as Ranka held out his hands expectantly, Haruhi shifted the baby into his arms.

Ranka grinned at the baby in his arms. "Hello Kotoko," he said softly "I'm your grandfather…"

As Ranka was invested in his precious granddaughter, Haruhi bought her things into the home and shut the door behind them.

"Oh, she looks so much like you Haruhi… and your mother…"

Haruhi felt her heart constrict at those words, her mouth suddenly feeling quite dry.

"Oh… um. I'm sorry dad" she said, not quite sure what she was apologising for. Maybe she shouldn't have been so casual about naming her daughter after her deceased mother while her father was still grieving – not that it would ever stop.

"Don't apologise sweetheart… she's beautiful." Ranka gave his granddaughter another quick kiss before looking around the apartment.

"Where's the insect? I thought he was coming with you."

Haruhi groaned. "Yeah. He got called to a meeting with his grandmother as soon as we landed."

Ranka raised an eyebrow. "A meeting? With his grandmother?"

Haruhi shrugged. "Rich kid stuff I guess."

"Oh."

Haruhi swallowed thickly as she prepared to finally open up to her father. "Tamaki abided by his grandmother's rules for years, he even cut off all contact with his mother for her... What if... What if he does the same to me and Kotoko?" Her voice wobbled a little from the stress.

Ranka sighed audibly. "He won't do that," he said definitively, "I'm still not fond of that idiot, but I know he isn't that type of person. I'm positive Tamaki wants to be a good parent – and even if he was trying to run away, I wouldn't let him."

Haruhi frowned as she saw the evil glint in her father's eye. "I don't think we really understand… reputation is a big thing for those families. And please don't talk about Tamaki like that in front of her" she added, gesturing to Kotoko who was still happily sat in her grandfather's arms.

"Sorry," Ranka recanted quickly, "and that may be true. We will never fully be a part of that world, even with-" his eyes darted down to Kotoko "but I trust that Tamaki will care more about you and Kotoko than the Suoh family's reputation, especially considering his own upbringing."

Haruhi hung her head. "I… didn't think about that… but even still…"

Ranka sighed. "One wrong move isn't going to ruin everything. I won't let it ruin everything" he added with a slightly scary glint in his eye.

Haruhi gave her father a weak smile. "Thank you, dad."

"You're welcome. Now, help me make dinner, just like old times!"

* * *

Tamaki's grandmother sighed. In her eyes it seemed like with every generation the Suoh's were getting worse. First her son falls in love and has a child with a Frenchwoman, then her grandson impregnates a sixteen-year-old commoner while still in high school.

She didn't understand. Why was it so hard for these Suoh men to keep it in their pants?

Much to Shizue's dismay, it had been much to late to do anything about either pregnancies by the time she found out, and the commoner women had gotten away with birthing illegitimate Suoh heirs. It made her blood boil. However, she had found a way to deal with Anne-Sophie and Tamaki (for some time at least), and she would surely find a way to deal with the scholarship student and her bastard.

"Grandmother?" speaking of which…

"Tamaki. I trust you had a pleasant flight home?"

Tamaki anxiously edged closer towards his grandmother, who indeed looked like she was prepared for a formal meeting, sitting behind a desk donning business wear.

"Yes, it was… fine" he lied, remembering how Kotoko refused to settle for hours.

"Excellent. How is the child?"

Tamaki winced at Shizue's harsh tone.

"Ah… she's well… I don't know what father told you, but –"

"Oh, not a lot, I wanted to hear it all from you. Tell me, Tamaki, do you think that child is fit to be a Suoh heir?"

"No more than I am, grandmother" Tamaki couldn't help but retort coolly.

"Don't take that tone with me, Tamaki" Shizue had noticed his tone.

"With all due respect, grandmother, I will speak how I like when it concerns my child."

" _You_ are a child."

"I'm eighteen."

Shizue rolled her eyes. "Why are children so determined to grow up so fast? The concept of having a child so young when it poses no benefits baffles me. That baby is nothing but a burden to you and that poor girl whose future you have jeopardised with your foolishness."

Tamaki flushed red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. "I… I don't see her as a burden. I love her and am fully dedicated to raising her with Haruhi. I understand Haruhi's predicament and I'm going to help her every step of the way."

After a beat of silence, Shizue resumed "I want that too Tamaki. Miss Fujioka is a bright student who was lead astray by the likes of you," Tamaki flushed again, "but I believe that with the proper help she could still flourish in her studies."

Tamaki's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Wait… you want to help us?"

Shizue gave her grandson a warm smile. "Precisely. I was simply testing you, Tamaki, but you seem serious about this. I think it would be better that we further discuss the terms with Miss Fujioka present though. Could you bring her to the mansion tomorrow?"

Tamaki nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, of course! I – thank you, grandmother!"

Finally, he felt some semblance of hope for the future. Things finally seemed to be going his way.

Shizue, on the other hand was fuming. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Hopefully the commoner girl would see sense.

* * *

Haruhi had spent the first two weeks of motherhood trying her best to figure things out on her own (well along with Tamaki's help, but Ranka didn't like to think about that), and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Ranka had always imagined becoming a grandfather in his fifties or sixties, living apart and being able to spoil the child when he babysat and offering his daughter all the wisdom he had to offer about raising a child.

He had not expected to become a grandfather in his thirties and be cramped in a small apartment with his struggling teenage daughter and her infant.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help but feel like he had failed as a father. Ranka had to admit, he was put out by the fact that his daughter had pretty much raised herself and now had to raise her own child at such a young age.

At the next high-pitched cry, Ranka finally jumped into action.

There was no way he would able to sleep through the crying, and Haruhi certainly wouldn't be either.

"Haruhi?" he opened up the door to see the young girl looking bleary eyed and exhausted, holding the small screeching bundle in her arms.

"Oh, hi dad. Sorry if she woke you up" she said, trance-like.

Ranka shook his head as the baby let out another cry and Haruhi began to bounce her.

"Have you fed her? Changed her?" he asked exasperatedly.

Haruhi nodded. "Uhuh. I just…" she blinked a couple of times, small beads of tears appearing in the corner of her eyes "I don't know what else to do" she said helplessly.

"Oh sweetheart, don't cry!" Ranka exclaimed in horror, suddenly throwing his arms around the girl.

Haruhi let her pull her in, wincing when Kotoko cried out again, protesting the hug.

Ranka sighed. "Pass her here" he held his arms out for his granddaughter.

Kotoko didn't calm down immediately, but as Ranka began slowly rocking the baby her screams slowly diminished. Haruhi rubbed her eyes in sleepiness, feeling helpless as her father used various techniques to quell her daughter. _How am I supposed to be a good mother when I can't even get her to sleep properly_ , Haruhi thought desperately as she tried not to cry.

"Has she been like this every night?" Ranka asked.

"No, she's actually been re-ally good." Haruhi cringed as her voice cracked involuntarily. "It must be the flight."

Ranka nodded. "Yes, definitely. Could be ear popping, jetlag, or just confusion and fussiness. Hopefully she'll be fine by tomorrow night, so we just need to get through this."

Haruhi watched as Ranka continued soothing Kotoko, which was working well until the doorbell rang loudly throughout the apartment. Kotoko started screaming again and Haruhi audibly groaned in frustration.

Ranka shook his head before passing Kotoko back to Haruhi. "I'll answer the door."

"It's probably Tamaki" Haruhi said, immediately attempting to imitate Ranka's rocking methods.

"Hmm" Ranka mused as he stepped out of the bedroom and made his way to the front door.

"Insect…" he greeted the father of his granddaughter coldly.

Tamaki bowed lowly in doorway. "I apologise for the late hour, Ranka-san. Are Haruhi and Kotoko still awake? I wanted to at least say goodnight…"

Ranka sighed. As much as he wanted to hate the blonde idiot for everything he'd done, he also understood that Tamaki wasn't a bad guy and was genuinely trying.

"Get in, insect. Haruhi's in her room trying to get the baby to sleep."

Tamaki frowned. "She's really still awake? Is she being fussy?"

Ranka nodded. "Yes. Haruhi said she's not normally like that."

"No, she's an angel" Tamaki said, sounding a little defensive of his daughter. Ranka would've rolled his eyes if he didn't agree.

As Kotoko let out a particularly loud scream, Tamaki instantly darted towards the sound.

Haruhi looked up as the bedroom door opened, mindful of the squirming baby in her arms, and instantly brightened up at seeing Tamaki.

"You made it" she greeted loudly over Kotoko's screams.

"I'm sorry the meeting took so long" Tamaki apologised before giving Haruhi a brief kiss. "Hello, mon ange! Why are you still awake?" he asked the crying baby.

"She's probably jetlagged. Jetlagged and confused."

"She doesn't know where she is" Tamaki agreed as he took the baby girl.

Kotoko continued to cry but seemed happier at seeing her father's familiar face.

"Don't cry, mon ange, daddy's here now. Daddy's ici maintenant, calmer princesse. Don't cry, Ko. It's okay, it's okay." [daddy's here now, calm down princess]

Haruhi stared in a mix of amazement and feebleness as Tamaki gradually calmed the crying baby.

"Maybe she just missed you" she hiccupped as Kotoko finally fell asleep.

Tamaki frowned as he looked back to his girlfriend and saw that she was close to tears. "Haruhi, what's wrong!" he exclaimed as quietly as possible in horror.

The brunette shrugged as she wiped her eyes. "Put Kotoko to bed."

Tamaki frowned but quietly obeyed her and carefully placed Kotoko in the crib at the foot of Haruhi's bed.

"What's wrong?" he repeated quietly, sitting next to Haruhi on the small bed.

The brunette took a deep, shuddering breath before she spoke. "I just… I feel completely useless. She was crying for two hours Tamaki. I was trying to get her to sleep for three. And you managed to calm her down instantly. I can't… I don't think… I can't do this without you. I don't like that, I should be able to help my baby, I should be able to function as a mother."

Tamaki instantly wrapped his arms around Haruhi and crushed her body against his.

Haruhi broke.

As she cried, Tamaki rocked her similarly to how he'd rocked Kotoko. "No, shh, don't cry. Haruhi, listen, we're not going to be able to do this immediately. There's no… there's no switch that flicks on and gives you some magical ability to know what your child needs… we've got to just figure this out through trial and error. Kotoko was probably just fussy because it's the first time she's only had one of us there."

"She's two weeks old, Tamaki. She probably doesn't even recognise us as her parents yet."

"That's nonsense."

"I read that in a baby book."

"Well they weren't talking about Kotoko, were they? Our baby is smarter than that, and she loves her mummy and daddy."

Haruhi shrugged and moved out of the hug.

"I'm not too sure about that."

Tamaki rolled his eyes. "Stop it, Haruhi. She loves you. You're a wonderful mother. We've just had a rough day."

Haruhi sniffled and Tamaki decided to switch tactics. "Hey, look on the bright side… I think my grandmother isn't actually opposed to the idea of us being together"

Haruhi looked up at him in complete confusion. "What? Really?"

Tamaki nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah! She said she wanted to help us!"

Haruhi hiccupped. "Help? Tamaki that could mean anything. By that she might mean throwing Kotoko out the window to get rid of the 'problem'"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki glared at the brunette, who simply shook from the effort it took not to cry.

"Sorry. I just can't help but feel like she'd just want to take her away from us… I can't go through with that, Tamaki…"

"Even if I thought that was what she was going to do, do you really think I would let that happen?"

"No" Haruhi relented, leaning into Tamaki's chest. "I trust you."

"Good. Then will you come with me to the mansion tomorrow? Grandmother wants to speak to both of us."

"Okay" Haruhi said in a small voice. She wasn't completely happen with this turn of events, but she supposed she could humour Tamaki until she felt uncomfortable with it.

"Thank you" the blonde gave her a quick kiss and leant back into the bed.

After a moment of silence, Haruhi couldn't help but start to grin. "Tamaki?"

"Yeah" the boy mumbled.

"Kotoko's asleep!" she whispered excitedly.

Tamaki chuckled. "I guess I need to be coming over every night then."

"Hmmm, I'd like that" Haruhi agreed, moving so that she was lying down on the bed, taking Tamaki down with her.

Within seconds they were both fast asleep.

* * *

 **I have returned! Did anyone notice that I was posted on Kotoko's birthday? I hope this was a fun little return chapter after the hiatus.**

 **I realise the characters are a little OOC, especially Haruhi, and jump in and out of old and new personalities, which I apologise for, but I think they would be kind of out of it with trying to figure out a middle ground between what they're used to and comfortable with and what they need to adapt to and change for their baby. Please let me know anything you think was too OOC, didn't quite work, spelling, grammar and all that jazz.**

 **Oh, and if the French is shit, correct me. I took 3 years of lessons and still have to use google translate, so help would definitely be appreciated!**

 **Unfortunately, while I am still writing I can't guarantee that the updates will be as regular as they were before, though I will do my best! To give you an idea of what I'm going through, this is my last school term before exams and graduation, so I'm hella busy with school and trying to figure out a university course etc, so please bear with me! Thank you for all the support I have continued to receive over the past few weeks and I am extremely happy to see that people have still been reading during my absence (yes, I've been checking the stats aha). For all the new readers I have acquired during the hiatus, welcome and I hope you enjoy the remainder of this story! It looks like there's going to be around 50 chapters at this point!**

 ***I was flying recently, and I had the misfortunate to sit in front of a toddler who cried the whole flight because their ears hurt from the popping. If you've never flown before it usually happens when you take off and it basically feels like you're underwater and can't hear really well. I don't think it hurts, it's just kinda annoying, but I guess kids ears are underdeveloped or something and it hurts them, so that's why Kotoko was crying on the plane if you didn't catch on aha.**


	25. Chapter 25

After what felt like only minutes of sleep, Haruhi was slowly pulled out of her sleep at the sound of Kotoko's soft cries.

Barely used to the arduous morning routine of settling Kotoko, Haruhi pulled herself up out of bed only to see that the baby was already being attended to; Tamaki was sitting criss-crossed on the edge of Haruhi's bed, gently rocking his daughter. "Sorry. I tried to calm her down before she woke you up, but I think she's hungry" he explained tiredly.

Haruhi sighed. "Can't be helped" she said, holding her arms out to take the infant.

As Haruhi began to breastfeed the baby, Tamaki took Kuma-chan out of the crib and crawled back up to the head of bed. "I already changed her, so we can go straight back to bed…" he mumbled.

"No point in that, it's already 7" Haruhi pointed out, gesturing to the clock. Tamaki groaned. "We can't sleep in any more, we need to get adjusted to the time zone."

"I don't think I've had a steady sleep schedule since Kotoko was born… there is no day and night anymore. Only baby…"

Haruhi chuckled at her boyfriends tired musings.

Once Kotoko had finished feeding, Haruhi readjusted her pyjama top and took Kotoko into the main living area where they were greeted by Ranka.

"Good morning Haruhi! I made you breakfast" the transvestite announced. "It's just toast today, I'm afraid, but I hope you like it!"

"Thanks dad. Can you take Kotoko?"

"Of course!" Ranka accepted happily, plucking his granddaughter from Haruhi's arms. "I want to spend the whole day getting to know my little girl!"

"She's two weeks old dad, there's not a lot to know" Haruhi pointed out. Ranka chose to ignore her and started trying to make the baby laugh as Haruhi ate.

It wasn't until Haruhi began washing up the plates that Tamaki finally emerged from the bedroom, shaggily dressed in the same clothes from the previous day.

"Haruhiii, why did you let me fall back to sleep?" he whined. "Oh – Ranka-san! I ah – good morning!"

"What is _he_ still doing here?" Ranka demanded of his daughter, tightening his grip on Kotoko, who had begun to fuss at her father's loud entrance.

"He spent the night" Haruhi answered simply.

"In your _bed_? _Alone_?" Ranka hissed, obviously thinking of the dreadful events that had previously resulted in the birth of his first grandchild.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, deciding not to dignify that with a response, while Tamaki spluttered.

"Ranka-san, I assure you, nothing of the sort happened! I would never do something so… _improper_ with Kotoko in the room!"

"Dad, he was up half the night trying to get her to sleep" Haruhi added to his credibility.

Ranka eyed the blonde warily. "I… suppose that makes sense." The redhead sighed. "I guess you can start staying the night – for Kotoko's sake. Once she can sleep through the night, those privileges are gone!" he said sternly.

"Of course, sir!" Tamaki agreed nervously.

"Thank you, dad" Haruhi said genuinely. She was so grateful that her father was being so accommodating, especially since she knew how disappointed he had been when he first found out about Tamaki and her pregnancy.

"You're welcome, my dear. Now, would you take Kotoko, I need to use the bathroom."

Before Haruhi could cross the room, Tamaki reached out to take the baby, who Ranka reluctantly handed over before exiting into the bathroom.

"Do you want some breakfast, Tamaki?" Haruhi asked.

"Oh, no thank you, I'm not hung-" Tamaki was quickly cut off as the doorbell echoed throughout the small apartment, prompting Kotoko to scream at the top of her lungs. Tamaki immediately started hushing the baby as Haruhi answered the door.

"Haruhiiiii!"

The brunette made an undignified sound as she was pulled into a tight hug.

"I missed you! More than I thought I would actually. So how was Boston? What's it like? Did you bring me anything back?" Catching sight of Tamaki and Kotoko in the background, Mei let go of her grip of Haruhi and bounded up to Tamaki.

"Oh my gosh, she's so cute! I'm sorry, did I make you cry, baby?" she asked in a high, cooing voice.

"Hello, Mei. I missed you too" Haruhi said dryly from behind her friend. "This is Kotoko."

Mei smiled as the baby in Tamaki's arms slowly opened her eyes to look at this loud new person. "Hi Koko!" Apparently Kotoko wasn't too impressed with this introduction as she let out another set of loud cries as Mei tried to hold her hand.

"'Koko'?" Tamaki repeated thoughtfully. "Oh, that's simply adorable!"

"She's not used to other people yet." Haruhi explained apologetically, taking Kotoko from Tamaki's arms.

"Oh, it's fine… I'm sorry" Mei said sheepishly. "I was so excited to meet her that I didn't even think of calling you ahead of time."

"Don't worry about it. Next time just knock" Haruhi smiled as she bounced Kotoko a little more as her crying began to cease.

Mei nodded. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure. Maybe you should sit down first though" Haruhi suggested. It wasn't that she didn't trust Mei, but she was a little irrationally worried about Kotoko being dropped.

Tamaki seemed to share her sentiments and followed the girls into the living room where Haruhi carefully shifted the baby onto Mei's lap.

The bleach blonde haired girl stared down at the infant with a mix of terror and wonder printed across her face. "Oh, she's adorable Haruhi! She looks just like you! Except the hair of course, that's blonde – like mine!"

"Or mine" Tamaki interjected cheekily, causing both the girls to look up at him, having completely forgotten he was there. "I think that's more likely."

"Oh… hey Tamaki" Mei eyed the blonde warily, no longer able to ignore him so obviously. While Haruhi had assured her that Tamaki was now dedicated to being a good father, she still held a grudge against the boy for making her friend feel so uneasy. "It's… interesting to see you again. So, Haruhi, do you want to go to lunch?" she added bubbly, turning back to Haruhi.

Tamaki huffed, unused to being so blatantly brushed off and interrupted before Haruhi could reply, "Well Mei, it's not that I'm unhappy to see you, but Haruhi and I must be going. We have a meeting with my grandmother soon."

Haruhi's demeanour suddenly turned downcast. "Right. I forgot."

"Aw," Mei pouted, "well if you're going to leave me, could I at least babysit for you? I want to play with Koko!"

Tamaki and Haruhi exchanged a quick glance, neither of them fully trusting the well-meaning but immature girl to take care of an infant.

"Ah, it's okay Mei, we're actually taking her with us" Haruhi said kindly.

"Aw, really?"

"Yes, I want my grandmother to meet Kotoko. I'm hoping it'll help warm her up a bit" Tamaki added to Haruhi who simply nodded.

Mei sighed. "Okay, well I guess I'll have to come back some other time. Bye-bye, Koko!" she blew the baby a kiss and swiftly exited the apartment.

"Well that was… odd" Tamaki commented as he looked at the door Mei had just disappeared from.

"That was Mei" Haruhi shrugged, used to her friend's odd behaviour. "So when is your grandmother expecting us?"

"Uhhh" Tamaki glanced down at his watch, his eyes bulging unpromisingly at he read the time. "Merde. Uh, we need to go!"

* * *

"Kind of you to finally grace us with your presence, Master Tamaki."

"I'm sorry, Shima!" Tamaki panted.

It was a short drive from the Fujioka residence to the Suoh manor, but upon realising they were late Tamaki had practically run from the car at their arrival – an impressive feat, considering the ridiculous length of the mansions driveway.

"Is my grandmother waiting?"

Shima nodded. "She is in the first-floor office waiting with your father. Would you like me to take your coat?"

"Huh?" Tamaki looked down, realising that in such a rush he hadn't bothered to bring a coat. "I don't-"

"It's cold outside. Don't be foolish."

Tamaki turned scarlet at being chastised still at the age of eighteen and as a father himself, and was about to retort until he was cut off by the seething voice of his girlfriend.

"Tamaki! You just left me there! I don't know where I'm going, remember?"

"Sorry, sorry! I was just-"

"What's this?" Shima interrupted shortly, staring at the baby in Haruhi's arms in shock.

Tamaki frowned. Had his father not said anything about Kotoko's birth to the manor staff? He understood that having an illegitimate child was a big deal in their social circles (being one himself), but the house staff had all signed confidentiality agreements and Shima had practically raised him over the past couple of years!

 _Maybe he is just embarrassed. Of me_ and _Kotoko_ , Tamaki wondered sadly.

"Ummm" Tamaki made an uncomfortable noise. Shima often reprimanded him harshly for something as simple as his manners, so he could only imagine how she would react to the news he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

"This is Kotoko" Haruhi supplied helpfully.

Shima turned to Tamaki expectantly.

"Surprise?" he offered weakly. Shima's eyebrows narrowed and Tamaki felt an oncoming lecture.

"Master Tamaki… what have you done?" she sounded so disappointed and Tamaki couldn't help but feel like a child being scolded.

"I know," he hung his head, "I know I messed up, but… I can't take it back and I don't want to. Whatever ramifications this has, I'll proudly accept them."

Shima shook her head and gestured towards the office. "Your grandmother wishes to see you. I am rooting for you," she added quietly, "don't make things any worse."

Tamaki flushed and reached out to take Haruhi's hand, guiding her down the hall wordlessly.

"Tamaki…" Haruhi said softly, only to be ignored.

"We're here." He pushed open the door and gently led Haruhi in behind him.

Yuzuru and Shizue Suoh had evidently been waiting for the couple for quite some time, Shizue sitting behind the large mahogany desk and Yuzuru awkwardly standing to the side, looking like a deer caught in headlights as he looked up.

"Tamaki" Yuzuru greeted.

"Hello Father… Grandmother…"

"What's this?" Shizue asked immediately. "Why is the… child here?"

Haruhi adjusted Kotoko in her arms uncomfortably.

"I wanted you to meet her" Tamaki explained. "And we couldn't exactly leave her at home."

Shizue sighed, clearly annoyed, but stood up and stalked towards Haruhi, who unconsciously held Kotoko closer to her.

Tamaki's grandmother peered down at the bundle and gave a funny little half smile.

"I must admit, she is cute."

Tamaki beamed with pride, pleased that his grandmother seemed to be coming around. "Isn't she? Simply adorable, of course it's hard to say which one of us she gets it fro-"

"Tamaki" the woman cut off sternly. "That doesn't mean she's any less inconvenient. To be perfectly honest, her entire existence is a nuisance, really."

Tamaki gaped, shocked at Shizue's cruelty. Haruhi pulled Kotoko out of the woman's sight, clutching her close to her chest.

"How dare you!" She snapped angrily but was stopped when Tamaki placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to protest, but Tamaki wasn't looking at her.

"Grandmother..."

"You can't expect me to see the child and suddenly change my mind, Tamaki. The only reason you are currently in Japan is because your father never produced another heir. You, on the other hand, are young enough to have another child and pretend that this whole… thing never happened."

Haruhi bit her lip and started to blink away irritating tears. She'd never felt less invited and could only pray that Tamaki would stick by her and Kotoko.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like she had to pray too hard.

"Have you gone mad?" Tamaki blurted out rudely.

Shizue frowned. "Tamaki, here is my proposition: the Suoh family will provide Miss Fujioka here with all the resources she needs, including a place to live, healthcare and Childcare, to live comfortably if you cut off all contact with her and her child."

Tamaki stared at his grandmother in betrayal and shock. "I... what? No! We're going to raise our child together!"

Shizue glared at the petulant boy. "I'd like to hear Miss Fujioka's answer."

"I don't accept." Haruhi snapped immediately. "I don't need or want your money."

"Oh, but you do. You see Tamaki, if you do not agree to these conditions, you will be cut off from the Suoh fortune and not be permitted to live in our homes. As you said yesterday, you are eighteen now."

"You would kick me out onto the streets!?" Tamaki exclaimed, horrified.

Shizue rolled her eyes. "Tamaki you can't expect to have a child out of wedlock and underage, no less, without consequences. The Suoh name-"

"Kotoko has the Suoh name!" Haruhi snapped, struggling to stay silent. "You-"

"I am thinking about my family's best interests. Now, there are other alternatives. One; you give the child up for adoption."

The two parent's reactions were instantaneous and final. Haruhi let out a broken sob, cuddling her daughter, and Tamaki bought both his arms to rest around his girlfriend and daughter.

"Absolutely not." He said calmly yet angrily.

"Two," Shizue continued as if Tamaki hadn't spoken, "you two get married and pretend you eloped in America. I don't like this option, especially since it still results in a teenage honeymoon baby, but we could at least fool the public about the illegitimate aspect."

Haruhi was seething. Not only was she offended by the notion she would be forced to marry, but also at the unwelcome memory of Tamaki's proposal.

Before she could say anything however, Tamaki had butted in.

"Or, third option: I leave here and don't come back. You won't have an heir" he told them coolly.

Tamaki's grandmother looked scandalised.

"I'm done giving up my happiness for the company's reputation. I could never abandon my family or force them into something they didn't want. I don't need the Suoh's. I have my own family now."

"So now you're going put _yourself_ out on the street?"

Tamaki nodded stiffly. At this point he didn't care about any of the consequences. He was going to live his life and guide his family the way he wanted from now on.

"Tamaki, this child will face the same hurdles that you did as an illegitimate child. She will have to pay the price for your indiscretions just as you did your fathers." Shizue explained coldly.

"Don't think you have a say in anything in my daughter's life" Haruhi snapped.

Shizue glared at the teenager, effectively silencing her.

"I don't care what we have to go through. I refuse to condemn Kotoko to the same fate as me. I was never happy in this house. I want to do things differently for my children."

"Children?" Shizue made a disgusted face. "She's not pregnant again, is she?"

Haruhi glared at her boyfriend's grandmother. "'She' is right here, and no, I'm not."

"She's the only woman I would ever consider having children with. There are no other options" Tamaki clarified.

Shizue couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You're really willing to throw your name away for one girl?"

"Yes. I would do it a hundred times over for my daughter" Tamaki didn't know how to begin to describe his love for Kotoko, but he knew that he would do anything for the little girl in his girlfriend's arms. He'd learnt what not to do from his father and was determined to do what he thought was right.

Shizue sniffed and turned away from the couple.

"Well then. You're dismissed."

Tamaki frowned. "I- what?"

"We'll have you written out of the wills, properties confiscated, and last name changed. You are no longer welcome in any Suoh homes."

Tamaki blanched, and feeling a little like his grandmother was attempting reverse-phycology, and gripped Haruhi's arm to lead her out of the room.

"Tamaki…"

"Let's get out of here" he said thickly, trying to disguise the fact he wanted to cry. That was it. He was officially disowned.

They made it nearly to the front door before Tamaki heard his fathers voice calling after them.

"Tamaki!" the couple turned around in time to see Yuzuru rushing after them.

"Father?"

Yuzuru gazed at Kotoko briefly before turning back to face his son. "I… I'm proud of you" he said finally. "Take care of them" he said, nodding his head towards Haruhi.

"Thank you" Tamaki said quietly.

"Oh!" Yuzuru handed Tamaki Anotinette's leash. "You ought to take the dog with you. Your grandmother doesn't like her."

Tamaki nodded sadly. "Of course… I… let me just find her."

He left Haruhi and Kotoko in Shima's hands, who led her out to the waiting car, and quickly located Antoinette. The excited dog bounded up to him and covered him in slobber before she allowed him to attach the leash and lead her out to the car.

The drive home was silent, with Tamaki contemplating his new life as a commoner and Haruhi anxiously wondering how her father would react to both another teenager and a dog living with them in their already crammed apartment.

* * *

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	26. Chapter 26

When they returned to Haruhi's apartment Ranka had left for work, but it was already clear how cramped the home would be, especially with Antoinette.

Of course, Tamaki's first solution would be for them to move out of Haruhi's apartment, but without the security of his family's money there was no way of that happening anytime soon.

With all the changes soon to come their way, he supposed it was a small blessing he'd already enrolled and paid for a business degree and university.

The couple hadn't said a word to each other since they returned, Haruhi instead busying herself by making up some instant coffee to comfort Tamaki, and he simply sat on the couch and watched Kotoko sleep in his arms.

He was still in wonder at how he could love anyone so much, but at the same time was scared of what he had just thrown away for her. Being a Suoh was all he had ever known. Even when he'd lived in France, they'd had his father's financial security and certainly weren't commoners by any means. Now he was in the dark, independent from the Suoh's and starting his adult life as a commoner with nothing. Hell, if Ranka decided not to let him stay he would be homeless in less than a few hours.

"Tamaki" the blonde looked up and gave Haruhi a weak smile as he accepted the cup of coffee. She sat beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder and looking down at Kotoko with him. "She's so peaceful today. I wonder what changed from this morning."

A stupid sentence, Tamaki couldn't help but think, and Haruhi seemed to realise it as well.

"Sorry" she retracted quickly. Tamaki didn't answer, instead taking another swig of coffee.

Haruhi couldn't help but feel a little awkward as she sat alongside her now disowned boyfriend with no idea of how to comfort him. While she too had been snubbed by the Suoh's, she couldn't begin to imagine the feels of rejection from your own family. She remembered the dread from back when she told Ranka she was pregnant, but deep down had always known her father would never abandon her, especially not in such a time of need – and she was sure he wouldn't do that to Tamaki either.

"Tamaki… do you want to talk-" as Haruhi leaned over to face Tamaki, she felt the cup slip out of her hands and crash to the floor, causing Kotoko to cry out in distress as she was awoken from her nap.

While Tamaki immediately pulled the little girl up to his chest and started assuring her that there was no danger, Haruhi mentally cursed herself and began picking up the broken pieces of the cup off the floor.

"I'm sorry, Kotoko" she cooed as she walked past to discard of the broken pieces. As Kotoko was still wailing when she returned, Haruhi held out her arms to take her from Tamaki, who, to her surprise, refused.

"It's fine, I've got her."

"I know, but I haven't-"

"Just let me do this, okay" Tamaki said sharply, causing Haruhi to step back in surprise. He'd never spoken to her in that tone before. The blonde boy sighed. "If I can't even comfort her… what can I do for her? Certainly not provide, not anymore" he added bitterly.

Haruhi frowned and settled back onto the sofa silently, opting to watch Tamaki rock their baby. She was surprised to find that it was oddly difficult not to interfere, as the two often worked together to deal with Kotoko. Still, she understood Tamaki's need to prove he could be a good father to himself.

She was pleased to see that Kotoko settled within a few minutes and was surprised to feel a weight being lifted off her chest. Maybe those were the 'motherly instincts' people talked about.

Haruhi would have preferred the 'immediately knowing what to do' motherly instincts over the extreme worry.

"See? You're an amazing dad" Haruhi couldn't help but lean over and give Tamaki a peck on the cheek. She was sure he needed it.

Tamaki bit his lip. "I hope so. I want to do better than… than my dad did."

To his horror, he felt the tears he had been trying to suppress all day bubble up and finally release.

"Oh, Tamaki" Haruhi said softly before he could deny anything. She quickly wrapped him up in a hug, which he happily accepted.

"I didn't think that would be so hard" he admitted through tears, only causing Haruhi to hold him tighter.

"No, no, I know. It's going to be okay though, right? We have our own family, we can work on that for now."

Tamaki nodded in agreement and the two simply held each other on the sofa.

Haruhi wasn't sure how long they had been there, and couldn't be sure if she had fallen asleep or not, but the next thing she remembered, her father was unlocking the front door.

"I'm home!" Ranka announced happily.

"Shh, the baby's asleep" Haruhi warned as Tamaki began to stir, Kotoko laying atop his chest.

Ranka chuckled. "That's a phrase I haven't heard in a while… sorry Haruhi. Hello, Tamaki."

"Ranka-san" Tamaki replied, sitting up, one hand on Kotoko's back to ensure she didn't fall off and the other on Haruhi's waist where it had remained for their nap. Ranka's eyes followed and narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"How did-" Ranka's musings were cut off with a yelp, as the crossdresser found himself pinned against the door by the enthusiastic golden retriever. "What is this!?"

"Antoinette, down!" Tamaki demanded. "I'm so sorry Ranka-san! She's my dog, her name is Antoinette."

Ranka pushed the animal off of him and glared at the blonde. "How did the 'meeting' go?" he asked with no indication of what had just occurred.

Tamaki and Haruhi exchanged an uneasy glance.

"I… think I was just disowned" Tamaki replied dazedly.

Ranka blinked. "What?"

Haruhi stood up, decided to take initiative. "Dad, can Tamaki stay with us?"

"Stay?"

Haruhi gulped and glanced back at Tamaki for a second. "Live."

Ranka's eyebrows narrowed and he opened his mouth to protest, but Haruhi continued, "Dad, please. He's been banned from his own home and he'd have been staying here a lot because of Kotoko anyway."

"That's not the same, Haruhi. There's a difference between staying a few nights and living here, that means more money for, well, everything. Put a growing baby on top of all those costs and it's a real struggle."

"Sir, please," Tamaki interjected, "I'll do my best to provide for myself and Kotoko, I would never put such a burden on you."

"How? If you've been disowned that means you have no money, and you certainly don't have a job."

Tamaki frowned. "I know… I know it's bad. But I really have nowhere else to go. I'll get a job" he promised.

Ranka sighed. "Well… unlike your own father, I can't kick you out on the street in good conscience. You can live here, and I'll help you get a job. The dog can't stay here though. Our landlord doesn't allow it, and there's no room for the poor thing anyway."

Tamaki nodded. "Thank you so much! And of course, I understand. I'm sure Mori-senpai won't mind taking her until I can afford to move out."

"Thank you, dad!" Ranka almost leapt back in surprise when his once apathetic daughter hugged him tightly.

"Yes, well. It's not going to be an easy ride for you, boy. You're out of high school, which means you better be helping with the bills. I should be able to pull a few strings and get you a job at one of my old bars…"

"I'm not going to have to cross-dress, am I?" Tamaki asked a little apprehensively, earning himself a glare from both father and daughter.

" _No_ , that's not all there is to do at a bar."

"He plays the piano, maybe he could do some kind of instrumental entertainment like he did at Misuzu's" Haruhi mused.

"Aha! Misuzu! Yes, he owes me for that whole ordeal with Mei. I'll ask him about getting you a job there when I see him."

"Thank you" Tamaki repeated, not sure how else to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome," Ranka sighed. "Now get that animal out of my home before someone finds out she's here."

* * *

The final week of the holidays had been one of the more eventful ones in Haruhi's life (though not comparable to recent experiences), as they had rushed around with moving in Tamaki, shopping for the basic necessities he had been denied access to (his clothes, electronics, and all other personal items had been deemed possessions of the Suoh estate and he therefore had no right to them), and preparing for school, all while taking care of a newborn.

For Haruhi, returning to Ouran felt like a dream, almost nostalgic. So much had changed since the last time she stepped foot in Ouran, and she couldn't help but feel like she didn't quite belong there anymore. Nevertheless, she was determined to finish her schooling as a full-time student, rather than part time as her father suggested.

Haruhi knew that logically, attending school part time would be healthier for her, with reduced stress and a chance to settle in as a mother better, but she thought practically, and taking longer to complete school meant delaying her dream career even more.

Despite all of her reasoning, Haruhi didn't find it at all easy to leave Kotoko alone for the first time while she was at school all day. Not only was she nervous to leave Kotoko, Haruhi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, as returning to school meant weaning Kotoko off of breastmilk and giving her formula instead. The process was not going well, especially with barely a week to prepare, and Haruhi felt immensely guilty about leaving her baby to potentially starve all day (as she had been refusing to even try formula), not to mention the soreness she felt herself from the process.

Tamaki on the other hand thought it was a fantastic opportunity to wean Kotoko and spend time bonding with her. He actually found it a little insulting that Haruhi was so nervous about leaving him alone with Kotoko, even though he knew it had nothing to do with him. In total, it took about half an hour to convince Haruhi that they were fine and she had to leave before she was late.

Even with all of the craziness now surrounding her life, Haruhi was determined to finish the school year as normally as possible, with top grades and a clear mind.

Right. Because that should be easy.

"Haruhiii!" immediately upon entering Ouran, she was practically assaulted by two familiar redheads and let herself be dragged along to their new classroom.

"Thank god we're still in the same class!" Kaoru chatted happily.

"Yeah, it would be much harder for you to keep your secret if we weren't around!" Hikaru said.

Haruhi stared at the two blankly. "Everyone already knows I'm a girl, remember? They found out just before we left."

"Not that secret! We meant _Kotoko_ " Hikaru hissed quietly.

"Oh." Haruhi hadn't even considered what to tell people at Ouran. She never planned on telling anyone about Kotoko, but that was simply due to the fact she wasn't close to anyone outside the host club. She didn't think it had to be a secret.

As if he had read her mind, Kaoru elaborated "it sucks, but there are students here who hold grudges against the Suoh's. If they found out about Koko, their families may have the power to ruin Tamaki and your reputation. Goodbye lawyer career."

Haruhi's heart dropped.

Of course, she had completely forgotten that she attended school with some of the most spoilt, rich, powerful and vengeful teenagers in the world.

Perfect.

"Haruhi!" her thoughts were interrupted as the trio reached the classroom and found themselves surrounded by their fangirling classmates.

"Oh, hi Renge" Haruhi said weakly, feeling a little odd under the French girls stare.

"Wow!" Renge exclaimed. "You really are a girl! I can't believe no one noticed it before, you're so pretty!"

"Uh… thank you…"

"Your hairs grown so much!" one of Haruhi's old clients gushed.

Haruhi shuffled uncomfortably, realising how much her physical appearance must have changed over the past year. Her hair had grown way past the masculine cut she had started school with, and now hung around her shoulders; her breasts had certainly increased in size, though she blamed Kotoko for that rather than nature; and while she had been pleased to find out she was able to fit into her uniform, she was a little insecure about the remaining baby weight.

"Thanks… you look great too" the natural type commented somewhat awkwardly.

The girls squealed, even while knowing Haruhi was a girl. Haruhi supposed they just liked the attention. Thankfully, before they could start fishing for compliments again the teacher walked in and as the students returned to their seats the class started.

Once lunch rolled around, the twins insisted on dragging Haruhi down to the cafeteria despite the fact she had bought her own lunch. She soon regretted not fighting more as they quickly found themselves surrounded by girls from the host club.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, we miss you so much!"

"We feel so bad for you beautiful ladies… I don't know how I could go so long without Kaoru" Hikaru said mournfully, causing the girls to squeal again. It was already giving Haruhi a headache. She already had to put up with the screaming enough at night.

"So, when is the host club starting up again?"

It took Haruhi a moment before she realised she was being spoken to. "Oh, haven't you been told? I'm so sorry, but the host club won't be reopening this year -" the girls let out a collective gasp of horror "- I'm sorry. We realised that it was going to be a big challenge to have to train up new hosts with most of our members having graduated and us in our third year."

Haruhi tuned out as the girls started wailing, leaving the twins to deal with their breakdowns. Once they were calmed down and assured that they would still be thoroughly 'hosted' during breaks, the group decided to turn their attention back to Haruhi.

"Do you know how Tamaki-senpai is?"

"Oh, that's right, you two are dating right?"

Haruhi frowned. "Uh yeah, Tamaki's fine."

The girls squealed again when they realised that Haruhi had dropped the honorifics and starting badgering her with question upon question about her and Tamaki's relationship.

"When did you stop calling him senpai?"

"Did you two live together in America?"

"Have you kissed him yet?"

"Have you done _other stuff_ yet?" one brave girl asked slyly, causing the others to break out into scandalised giggles.

The twins and Haruhi exchanged a look before the two redheads burst into laughter alongside the host club clients who had no idea the extent of that question.

Haruhi refused to answer, but her red face left plenty to the girls' imaginations.

* * *

The school day passed relatively quickly, and even with the ridiculous amount of homework she was given, Haruhi headed straight home, eager to get back to her daughter and boyfriend.

It was odd, she mused, that she would spend all night with Kotoko and end up exhausted and frustrated in the mornings, but still hated to spend time away from her.

"I'm home!" she announced as she entered the apartment, which, to her surprise, _didn't_ look like a bomb had gone off.

"Hey" Tamaki said, coming out of her bedroom empty-handed. "Kotoko's asleep."

Haruhi groaned. "That's why she won't sleep through the night…"

"Haruhi, she's not even a month old yet. She doesn't have a sleep schedule, newborns are always asleep."

"Except when I am" Haruhi grumbled. "Oh well. How was she? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine – and if something was wrong, don't you think I would've told you one of the sixty times you texted me making sure nothing was wrong?"

Haruhi glared at him. "It was my first time leaving her alone, I was just worried."

Tamaki chuckled. "I know, it's perfectly normal." He wrapped his arms around the small girl's waist and she let herself fall into his chest. Haruhi allowed herself to enjoy the intimacy for a few moments, before they were interrupted by a loud cry.

Tamaki groaned as he pulled away from her, but Haruhi grinned and rushed into her bedroom.

"Hey Kotoko!" Haruhi cooed as she raised the infant out of the crib. "I missed you … did you have fun with daddy today?"

"Oh yes, we had lots of fun. I especially enjoyed being spit up on" Tamaki joked from the doorway.

"I told you, you need to be gentler with her after she eats."

"I know, but she's just so cute! Just like her mummy."

Haruhi couldn't help but blush, even as she reached up on her tiptoes and initiated a kiss. Unfortunately, Tamaki barely had time to respond before Kotoko made her presence known again.

"Okay, sorry baby. What do you need?"

There were fleeting moments in and out of normalcy, and while Haruhi couldn't help but feel like she was living two separate lives, living a lie, she also couldn't choose between them.

As she and Tamaki worked with Kotoko, Haruhi realised that this was the life she wouldn't give up. Being a lawyer was her dream, but Kotoko meant everything to her.

Not that that meant it wasn't tiring, as within just a few hours, all three of them were passed out on Haruhi's bed, tired and homework incomplete.

* * *

 **I'm sorry this chapter came out late, I haven't edited it so I hope it's okay. It's been a stressful couple of days and I lost a family member today so I'm really off my game, but need a distraction so I'm posting this and feeling guilty for focusing on other things and yeah, idk. Thank you guys for always being wonderful and I'm sorry if this chapter was shit.**

* * *

 **Midway through writing this I realised that the drinking age in Japan is 21 and Tamaki probably wouldn't be allowed to work at a bar, so I would appreciate it if you would suspend your disbelief for the sake of the story aha. The drinking age in Australia is 18 (yay!) so naturally I thought that would be the perfect solution for Tamaki since he just turned 18.**

 **Some of you may have noticed that I changed my username (again), but this time it's for a legitimate reason, and that is to match my tumblr username! I've been meaning to say for a while that I remembered I still have a tumblr account lol and revamped that completely so I could use it connect with you guys, so I'd love it if you guys would follow me there! I don't post a lot so far, but I do check it regularly so if you want to contact me or hear about my progress with the story, you should go ahead and follow me at sevendeadlyseas!**

 **I read every single one of your reviews and I'm so glad you guys all thought they weren't OOC for the situation! Thank you so much for all your support! Please follow, favourite, review and hit me up on tumblr!**


	27. Chapter 27

Ranka was really starting to despise his night shifts. While he loved his now full-time job, which was also handy for the extra money, it really interrupted his personal life and he often found that he had little time to spend with his family, let alone friends. Not coming home until four am meant that his sleep schedule was completely out of synch with the other occupants of the house (including Kotoko, who had generally settled down by morning), and leaving before Haruhi got home from school meant that he completely missed his daughter most days. He had to admit, it was taxing, and it didn't help that whenever he did see Haruhi she was exhausted from school and taking care of Kotoko.

Nevertheless, Ranka continued to accept the shifts, needing the extra money now that there were now two extra people to feed, including a growing (read: expensive) baby, so, much to his dismay, his family time came second.

Walking back from the bar had become a time of self-reflection, as Ranka watched a mixture of drunks filter out of the streets and business man rush out to work early and wondered which of the two he would have fallen in if it wasn't for the late Kotoko and Haruhi. _Probably the former_ , he told himself grimly before unlocking the front door.

He was always mindful of the others in the apartment and tried his best to be quiet when he came home, which was why he was surprised to hear soft cries when he opened the door that night.

"Koko, shhh, we don't want to wake up mummy" he heard Tamaki whisper.

"Tamaki?" Ranka whisper-shouted to get the blondes attention.

"Good evening, Ranka" Tamaki replied tiredly.

"It's five in the morning."

"Oh… well good morning." Ranka frowned as he took in Tamaki's straggly appearance – bleary-eyed, hair sticking up everywhere, one sock on and the other missing – along with his shirt, Ranka noted with a slither of anger.

"How long have you been up?"

"A while" Tamaki answered vaguely, clearly telling Ranka how sleep deprived the boy really was.

Ranka sighed. "That's not a great sign."

"Yeah well… I don't have much of a choice. Haruhi has school in the morning, so I'm not going to let her suffer in the morning when I have nothing to do."

"I thought you were taking your university course online?" he commented with a frown.

Tamaki shrugged. "Yeah… to be honest, I don't get a lot done during the day. I'm thinking of giving it up for a while" he admitted.

Ranka's eyes narrowed. "You want to drop out of university?"

"Not drop out… just… delay it a little. I'd go back once we're more settled and Kotoko is on a steady sleep schedule."

"That could be months" Ranka warned the boy.

Tamaki shrugged. "I know… it's just… no one ever told me how crazy life gets when you have a baby."

"You're eighteen," Ranka deadpanned, "probably no one thought you needed to be told for another ten years."

"You were only two years older than me when you had Haruhi" Tamaki shot back. Ranka raised an eyebrow at the boys' boldness and Tamaki immediately backed down.

"That… didn't come out the way I intended. Please accept my apology."

Ranka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let me hold my granddaughter."

Tamaki shifted Kotoko into Ranka's arms and the two sat awkwardly in relative silence featuring Kotoko's soft whimpering.

"I hate that I keep having to apologise for her." Tamaki admitted quietly.

"Hm?" Ranka looked away from Kotoko, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Tamaki nodded his head towards Kotoko. "I love her. So much. But every time I'm around others they want to point out that I messed up and got my girlfriend pregnant too young. And I know that we should have waited, logically. But I can't regret it." He said softly. "I know you must have felt like killing me when you found out Haruhi was pregnant-"

"Six months in" Ranka interjected.

"- and I was mad at myself too. Screwing up her future. But there's no part of me that wishes it never happened. I believe in fate, Ranka. Do you?"

Ranka bit his lip and turned away from the irritating insect back to his granddaughter, who had hooked her fingers around his thumb during the time Tamaki was talking. As he looked down, her eyes opened, revealing the beautiful deep brown eyes that resembled her mother and grandmother so much. The three most important women in his life.

"I think I might" he replied quietly.

Tamaki smiled.

"And don't worry. I do understand. I was probably too young to have a kid – everyone else said I was too. And Haruhi turned out amazing. As long as you put in your best effort, Kotoko is going to be just as amazing, if not better."

Tamaki beamed. "Thank you, Ranka."

"No problem. I'm sure you'll be able to experience that same pride I feel everyday soon enough. And maybe one day, the rage of finding out her insect of a boyfriend got her pregnant."

Tamaki made a horrified face, but relaxed when he realised Ranka was teasing him. "I'm putting her in a chastity belt" he muttered, causing Ranka to laugh.

"Oh, don't worry yet, she's barely a month old."

"Hmm" Tamaki mused. "Oh! That reminds me, I wanted to do something for her first month birthday. I was hoping you'd let the rest of the host club visit for the day?"

Ranka shrugged. "Sure, it sounds fun. Hopefully they'll bring some gifts too, even thought it's not her real birthday…"

"Still an important milestone!" Tamaki said cheerfully. "And I'm sure all her uncles can't wait to spoil her rotten!"

"Perfect. I'll invite Misuzu and Mei, they're both always asking about the baby, just haven't had a chance to meet her yet."

"Mei met her. She came by while you were at work a little while back."

"Oh? She didn't say anything."

"It wasn't a long meeting, I doubt she thinks it counts" Tamaki said, rolling his eyes. 'Anyway, it sounds fun. Now we just need to get Haruhi on board!"

Ranka laughed. "Oh, good luck with that. She hates a fuss."

"Well, it's not about her, it's about Kotoko" Tamaki pouted, causing Ranka to chuckle. The boy sounded almost drunk, he would never say such a thing to Haruhi's face.

"Okay, time for you to get to bed."

"Oh, no, sir, it's fine, here, I'll take Kotoko back, and- "

"You need to get some sleep. I remember how it was" Ranka admitted, thinking back to the days when he would stay up all night trying to get Haruhi to sleep so that Kotoko would be awake enough to work in the morning.

Funny how that had reversed in seventeen years.

Tamaki sighed and passed Kotoko over to her grandfather before standing up and stretching. "Thank you, Ranka. I feel bad for just leaving her with you though…"

"You can't help her until you help yourself. Sleep" the okama demanded, scaring the blonde into disappearing.

"Thank you!" the boy squeaked out again nervously before disappearing into the bedroom.

Ranka shook his head. "Your daddy is silly, right Koko?" he cooed.

* * *

"Why did I agree to this again?" Haruhi complained as her father and boyfriend bustled around the living room, hanging up various decorations and micro-cleaning and organising the apartment.

"Because it's Kotoko's first big milestone and we want to share the moment with all our friends!" Tamaki explained.

"She's a _month_ old," Haruhi stressed, "she doesn't need a party. And she barely slept last night, so she's most likely going to sleep through the whole thing anyway."

"Think of it as a second baby shower then" Ranka said.

"So Kotoko is just an excuse to get free things?"

"And see our friends!" Tamaki added happily. "You need to relax every once in a while, Haruhi – and I haven't seen the host club in weeks! Let's just take the day to just enjoy being parents, okay?" he pleaded, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips.

Haruhi sighed but returned the kiss. "Fine, but this isn't going to become a regular thing! Her next milestone isn't until her _real_ first birthday, not next month, okay?" she told them before taking Kotoko out of her bassinet and into her bedroom. "We're going to get changed." Tamaki had planned the party for early in the day so that Kotoko would stay awake, so Haruhi hadn't yet changed herself or her baby out of their pyjamas.

"Okay, Kotoko, apparently it's your big day, so daddy wants you to dress nicely" Haruhi said, laying the one-month-old down on the bed as she looked through the drawer full of baby things. "No onesies today. How about this dress?"

Kotoko looked up at her mother in curiosity as Haruhi held up a simple blue dress the twins had brought from their mother's collection not so long ago.

"You like it?" Haruhi asked. Kotoko continued to stare and Haruhi couldn't help but smile. "Okay then, let's get you out of your PJ's."

By the time she had changed Kotoko and slipped into her regular jeans and t-shirt, the hosts had already arrived and her father was happily chatting to Kyoya in the kitchen while Tamaki argued with the twins. Honey and Mori were loitering in the kitchen, presumably waiting for cake to be served.

"Hey guys" Haruhi greeted, shutting the bedroom door behind her so that no one (*cough*twins*cough*) would peek in there.

"Hi Haru-chan! Aww, is that Koko-chan?" Honey asked happily.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the nickname but nodded. "Yeah, do you-"

"Wow, she's gotten bigger!" Hikaru exclaimed, he and his twin rushing forward to take a look at the baby.

"And cuter!" Kaoru added.

"Yeah, she's starting to actually look like a person instead of a small alien" Hikaru agreed, earning a glare from Haruhi. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure" Haruhi passed Kotoko to the twin, who immediately started making faces and trying to make the baby laugh with Kaoru.

Shaking her head, Haruhi entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water while the other hosts crowded around the twins.

"They're easily amused" Ranka noted.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Imagine what they'll be like when she's actually old enough to walk and talk."

"We'll get to spoil her even more and teach her everything we know!" Hikaru announced happily, overhearing their conversations.

"I forbid you from corrupting my little girl!" Tamaki shouted, eliciting a laugh from Haruhi. It reminded her so much of the days when he would claim to be her father.

As Haruhi joined her friends in the living room, the doorbell rang once again, and claiming it was probably Misuzu and Mei, Ranka answered the door and started chatting with his old friend as Mei joined the other teenagers.

"Hey Mei!" the hosts chorused as the blonde girl entered the room.

"Hi everyone. It feels like forever since I last saw you all. Hey Kotoko, don't you look precious! That outfit is adorable!" she told Haruhi, looking proud of the fashion novice.

"She's adorable no matter what" Tamaki said proudly, scooping up the child from Hikaru's arms and holding her tightly to his chest.

"Oh, is that the new baby?" Misuzu asked joining the conversation.

"Hi, Misuzu!" Haruhi greeted, a little nervous to see her fathers old friend and her ex-boss after so long. She doubted he would judge her, Misuzu wasn't like that, but all the same, it must have felt a little jarring to see her with a baby after such a short amount of time.

"Haruhi! It's wonderful to see you again!" the transvestite pulled the girl into a bone-crushing hug before edging towards Tamaki. "And Tamaki, you look absolutely refreshing!"

"Thank you, Misuzu-san"

"And your darling daughter is too precious! Oooh, can I hold her?" Misuzu practically begged, holding his arms out to take Kotoko.

"I have to say Haruhi, I was surprised to hear about your pregnancy," Misuzu commented, "I really thought you would be the last of Mei's friends to end up in such a pickle!"

"Hey! Oh, no offense, Haruhi" Mei added. Haruhi shot back a small smile, appreciating the sentiment behind the words despite the awful execution.

"Oh, no, of course not darling, she's absolutely beautiful!" Misuzu agreed, rocking Kotoko in his arms a bit. "I miss having a baby around – you were so cute, Mei!"

" _Were_?" Mei raised an eyebrow, but Misuzu ignored her.

"Appreciate these years," he advised the parents of the little girl, "it's always exciting – the first words, first steps… everything. Before you know it she'll be walking around, talking back and you'll be wishing you had a baby again! Of course, by that time you'll still be young enough to have another!"

Tamaki choked on a sip of water at that and Haruhi turned white at the thought.

"I – I don't think that will be happening for a long time" she squeaked.

"A _very_ long time" Ranka added sternly, shooting Tamaki a warning glance.

Misuzu looked pensive. "Hmmm… you never know. Most people want their children to be similar in age, so you don't want to wait too long. Maybe when she's about five?"

"I'd still be in college" Haruhi mumbled.

"Don't encourage them, Misuzu" Ranka chastised, horrified at the thought of another grandchild – _though Haruhi and Tamaki do make cute babies_ , he admitted.

"I think we're definitely going to avoid that, we don't need another baby to worry about paying for" Tamaki said, a little bitterly.

Misuzu looked amused. "A baby is too expensive for even a Suoh, eh?"

The mood in the room noticeably dropped.

"Er – not exactly," Tamaki said, "I was disowned. I've been living here."

Misuzu gaped a little. "Oh – I'm sorry, I ah, I had no idea!"

Tamaki shrugged. "It's okay. I would've made the same choice a hundred times over" he smiled fondly at Kotoko, "the only real issue is money."

Misuzu frowned, clearly uncomfortable. "Oh of course. It must be a really difficult adjustment – and even harder since you're in university."

"Yeah… I might have to quit that for a bit while I look for a job"

"What?" Haruhi interjected. "You're thinking of leaving school?"

"Not forever" Tamaki said hastily, "I just think making money should be a priority right now, and not many places seem to be keen on hiring students." It was true. During his job hunt, many employers had been concerned about his commitment to studies (and lack of real-life skills), which Tamaki believed attributed to the lack of job offers.

"Well… what if you worked for me?" Misuzu offered.

Tamaki blinked. "What?" he blurted out.

"I'm finally earning enough money to hire real staff and you need a job. Why not work for me?"

Tamaki gaped. "I… I… thank you, Misuzu-san!" he exclaimed, almost knocking the table over in an effort to reach over and hug Misuzu.

"Tamaki!" Haruhi, Kyoya and Ranka shouted in unison as Tamaki and Misuzu hugged, the latter laughing good-naturedly.

"It's no problem, Tamaki, anything to help you guys out!"

"Thank you, Misuzu-san" Haruhi conceded, bowing her head respectfully as her face turned red at her boyfriends' antics.

"There really is no need to thank me, I could do with the help, really" Misuzu assured them.

Of course, Tamaki continued to thank (or rather, pester) the man until he was annoyed, and the others quickly fell into an easy conversation.

When Haruhi briefly left to fetch more drinks for the guests, she was surprised to see that Mei followed her under the guise of helping.

"I really can do this on my own, Mei-"

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to talk to you" the other girl said hurriedly.

"Uh okay…"

"Do you really trust Tamaki to take care of your family?" Mei asked so bluntly that Haruhi almost didn't catch the question.

"Well… of course. I trust him."

Mei frowned. "I don't know. He's never had to work a day in his life, and I don't think he knows what he's getting into."

Haruhi eyed her friend warily. "Mei, do you have a problem with Tamaki?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't like the way he acts. From what I've seen, he hasn't changed at all, even after losing all his money. I liked the idea of all those rich, handsome guys before" she admitted, "but I can still see how out of touch they are with the rest of the world. I don't know if he's the best thing for you."

There was a beat of silence.

"Is that why you've been acting so cold towards him? Because you were worried about me?"

Mei didn't answer.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm not worried." Haruhi said. "I'm happy with Tamaki. He really is trying, he just doesn't like others to see him in pain or struggling."

Mei made a 'hmph' noise, which Haruhi chose to ignore.

"You don't live with him, you can't see how much he does, and he doesn't have to prove anything to you" Haruhi said harshly "Just let it go."

"Fine." Mei glanced at her friend "sorry."

"You'll understand when you find someone for yourself" Haruhi said, realising a moment later how preachy she sounded.

Mei laughed softly. "Right. You're the last person I ever thought I'd hear that from."

"Right."

"Though… there is someone" the blonde started shyly, earning her a confused look from Haruhi.

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I've actually been hanging out with him for a few weeks now."

"Oh… that's great, Mei!" Haruhi couldn't help but feel guilty. With all her personal drama, it had left little time for friends, and she hadn't realised how little she'd been hearing about their lives. "So who is he? Anyone I know?"

"He might be actually, he goes to your school. Ritsu Kasanoda."

Haruhi grinned. "Yes, he's a friend of mine, he used to visit the host club sometimes! He deserves someone great, I'm glad you found him. I think you two would make a great couple."

Mei laughed nervously. "Well, we're not a couple yet. I haven't asked him out yet."

Haruhi tilted her head slightly. "That doesn't seem like you. When you had a crush on Tamaki you went all out trying to impress him."

"Looking back, it seems a bit silly now that he's dating my best friend and a father" Mei admitted.

Haruhi couldn't help but agree, even though she'd thought it was silly at the time too. It had pained her a little to see her best friend pursue her senpai, even if she was still figuring out her feelings, especially since Mei was so invested in Tamaki. There had been some long, awkward nights when Mei would keep Haruhi up with questions about Tamaki's physique, and the androgynous girl had always found it a little difficult to look at her friend at school the next day.

"A lot can change in a year" Haruhi agreed.

"I really don't want to blow it with Kasanoda," Mei continued, "as tacky as it sounds, I like how everything is now. This is fine, and if it's as good as it's going to get, I'm still grateful for the time we've had together so far. And I'm sick of making the first move. Guys need to step it up."

Haruhi chuckled. "Sure, Mei. I completely understand."

* * *

 **This chapter was originally a lot longer, but it's already one of the longest chapters in this story so I decided to cut it off her and continue the rest in chapter 28, which has been a NIGHTMARE to write. I'm suffering serious writers block guys, and I feel really guilty about it. I'm spending all my author-y energy on essays and school assignments, which sucks, but hey, I only have something like 18 days of high school left! How crazy is that? (*cries because I have no future*)**

 **So, SPOILER, in a manga extra it's revealed that Mei and Kasanoda become a thing! How sweet! I think they would be adorable, what about you guys?**

 **(Oh, and that last part totally wasn't in the anime/manga. Totally didn't steal anything.)**

 **If you'd like to keep up with my progress and chat with me, hit me up on tumblr, you can find me at sevendeadlyseas, I love interacting with you guys regularly outside of reviews**


	28. Chapter 28

"As you know, next week is Halloween. Last years test of courage tournament was… somewhat successful" the class president said, "but this year we have been given another opportunity to host an event for the whole school. Does anyone have any ideas?"

In her absence, Haruhi had admittedly forgotten about the sheer amount of odd events and balls held at Ouran, but now that she was back, she was of course expected to attend every single one of them. Fat chance.

"A maid café?"

"That's what _everyone_ will want to do."

"A dress-up party?"

"Too generic."

"What if we held a murder mystery party?"

"A haunted house?"

"Actually, that sounds kind of fun!"

"Yeah, we can all dress up in scary costumes and try to scare the other students!"

"I can have some professional makeup artists come in to make us look more realistic!"

"Yeah, we can get some costumes made!" the twins added, excited to start designing.

"So, its settled, we'll decorate the classroom and hall after school on Halloween and then change before the guests arrive?"

"Sounds good!"

"What time should we start?"

"Are we going to have food?"

"What do you think, Haruhi?"

Haruhi looked up at the mention of her name, confused. "Uh… sorry?" she said stupidly, having missed the question.

"Sorry?"

"We're going to do a haunted house for our Halloween event this year." Kaoru explained. "It's after-school hours" he added quietly.

Haruhi nodded, thanking him silently. It really did help that he and Hikaru were in her class since they were the only ones at school who knew about Kotoko.

"Oh. Sorry guys, I can't make it" she said, addressing the whole class.

"Aw, really?"

"We wanted the whole class involved!"

"Can't you change your plans?"

Haruhi shot her classmates an apologetic look. "Sorry, it's a family thing. Non-negotiable. Maybe next year" she said, knowing full-well that she would still have a baby in a year.

Most of the classmates accepted the apology and continued planning the event; but of course there was always one person who had to test her.

"Are you sure you can't come, Haruhi? There's still a little time to change your plans."

Haruhi gave Renge an apologetic smile. "Sorry, there's nothing I can do. Maybe next year" she parroted.

"Oh, please! I was really hoping we could spend the time together!"

Haruhi gave the twins a quick side glance to see if they were listening in to the conversation.

 _She knows I'm a girl, right?_

"Oh… well, sorry, Renge. Maybe another time."

Renge gave Haruhi a disappointed look. "Okay. Don't think I'm giving up though!"

Haruhi laughed good-naturedly. "Good luck with that."

* * *

Halloween had fallen on a Friday that year, and Haruhi had taken the time used to decorate to get home early and help out.

Tamaki had work in the afternoon, so with no classes for the rest of the day, Haruhi had rushed home, prepared dinner and set Kotoko down for a nap before climbing into bed herself.

It had been a long week, with multiple tests and assignments due causing her to fall asleep at her desk more than once, but now that they were all over, Haruhi only felt relief and a need to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Of course, the world would never grant her that wish.

It felt like she had only been lying in bed for a few minutes when she was stirred by a faint knocking at the door. Haruhi ignored it at first, hoping the person would assume the house was empty and leave before Kotoko woke up and started screaming, or find their key (she was still bitter about the time a few weeks ago when Tamaki had left his keys at home and woke up both girls trying to get back in the apartment.)

As the knocks became louder, Haruhi groaned and resigned herself to getting out of bed. Whichever one of the friends who decided to bother her were as good as dead. They knew she needed after school naps!

"I'm coming!" she called as the person continued knocking incessantly.

If it's Tamaki forgetting his key, I swear…

As she began her murderous mental tirade on her boyfriend, she opened the door to see Renge waiting impatiently.

"R-Renge!" she said awkwardly, caught off-guard. "Uh what are you-"

"Hi Haruhi!" Renge replied enthusiastically, before pushing past Haruhi to enter the apartment.

"Honestly Haruhi, it's no wonder everyone thought you were a boy. Even in normal clothes you can pass for a boy. Well, except for those" she nodded down at Haruhi's chest area.

Now in mum mode, Haruhi's first thought was _shit, am I leaking,_ and quickly crossed her arms to cover her chest, despite the dryness.

"Er... Yeah. I suppose I'm not very feminine… so, what brings you here?" she asked anxiously, desperate to get her out of the place before she noticed Kotoko.

"I want you to come to the Halloween tournament tonight! Please, it'll be so much fun, and I promise it won't take long!" Renge flashed her puppy-dog eyes at the other girl, but Haruhi completely missed the look as she was too busy scanning the room for anything incriminating (read: baby things).

"Ah… well like I said Renge, I'm really sorry but I can't participate this year, I'm way too busy. Sorry to let you down, but I'm sure you'll have fun without me."

Renge frowned. "But Haruhi-"

To Haruhi's horror, the brunette was cut off by a set of shrill cries that echoed throughout the lounge area.

"Um…"

"Excuse me" Haruhi said, unable to come up with an explanation on the spot, before leaving Renge in the lounge to make her to the bedroom.

Kotoko was sitting up in her crib crying her little eyes out, frustratingly unable to articulate what she wanted.

"Hi baby" Haruhi said tiredly, picking up her daughter and holding her close to her chest. "Do you need to be changed? Are you- oh"

Haruhi groaned as the little girl turned her face in towards her chest, indicating that what she wanted was food. How she was going to get away with breastfeeding around Renge was beyond her.

"Haruhi?" The bedroom door opened, revealing the scene to Renge.

Haruhi swore and turned away from the doorway. Yeah. Like that would work.

"Haruhi?" Poor Renge sounded so confused. "Er... Why do you have a baby?"

Frozen, Haruhi said nothing.

"Who-who's is it? Is it..." Moving forward, Renge squinted as she looked at the baby. Confused by the presence of the stranger, Kotoko stopped crying and looked curiously at Renge.

"She... She looks like... Tamaki..." Renge practically whispered before turning to Haruhi, wide-eyed, clearly looking for an explanation.

Haruhi breathed in deeply. _Fuck it_.

"Yeah. She takes after her daddy." She sighed. "Renge this is Kotoko. My daughter."

A beat of silence…

"Your... Your daughter? You have a baby? Like an actual baby... and Tamaki is the father?" Renge caught on quickly, her mind reeling.

Haruhi sighed. "Renge I got like 3 hours of sleep last night can we please... Skip the shock thing and let me feed Kotoko in peace" Bored with Renge, Kotoko began to cry softly again so Haruhi began to bounce her on her hip. "She's um, hungry" she explained apologetically.

Renge nodded, then blushed. "Oh. Oh! Sorry... I'll just..." She went to leave.

"It's fine. I'll just grab something to cover up..."

Haruhi placed Kotoko on the bed gently before looking through her drawers for the sling/bib thing she'd bought for breastfeeding around others. It kept her covered while still allowing the baby to eat without suffocating.

She picked up Kotoko and placed her on her lap as she laid up against the headboard. Renge respectfully looked away as the other girl adjusted Kotoko under the sling.

"You can look now."

Renge nodded and sat at the foot of the bed, unable to look away from the hidden baby.

"So... A baby..."

Haruhi pursed her lips at the awkward conversation.

"Yeah… she's 10 weeks old."

"Aww" Renge couldn't help but coo. "She's tiny!"

Haruhi smiled somewhat out of pride.

"Yeah, she's tiny" Renge murmured, still in shock. "So, you got pregnant after you left last year?"

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah... I was pregnant practically the whole time I was in America."

"Oh. When I saw the baby I kind of assumed the whole studying abroad thing was a cover up for you to have the baby but... The times don't line up."

Haruhi frowned. "I'm sorry if you're... Insulted by this. I didn't mean to lie, and I didn't want to hurt anyone but at the same time... I have to protect Kotoko." She looked down affectionately at her daughter. "I don't want too many people knowing about her... Not because I'm ashamed of her, I love her very much, but there's a lot of people at school who hate me for dating Tamaki, or who just hate Tamaki" she added, remembering the president of the newspaper club. "If they ever found out about Kotoko... Well my career and Tamaki's reputation could be ruined. Or worse, Kotoko could be put in danger."

"Yeah no... I understand wanted to keep her a secret... such a shame really, she's beautiful Haruhi"

The brunette smiled. "I know. Thank you."

If the last couple of months had taught her anything, it was that nothing was stronger than a parent's love for their child.

Renge watched her ex-crush place the baby on some sort of toy on the floor in something resembling fascination. How odd to think that not so long ago she had thought this young mother was male, not to mention the love of her life.

"She must keep you busy" she observed, watching how Haruhi tried to engage the infant with some of the toys scattered across the lounge.

"Yeah. Not too much time for anything other than school, and even that's hard to squeeze in with sleep."

"I can imagine" Renge lied, unable to comprehend the stress her classmate must be under. "I guess I can't really bother you too much about the Halloween event then, huh?"

"I'm really sorry, Renge" Haruhi apologised, standing up to face the other girl. "Surely there's someone else you can go with?"

The brunette deflated somewhat. "Ah. Yeah. Sure."

Catching Renge's tone, Haruhi frowned. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Renge…" Haruhi wasn't the best at reading people, she had to admit. But she still liked to imagine she could detect when someone was feeling down, usually since they weren't acting like themselves. "Is everything okay? You do… you do have friends to go to the event with, right?"

Renge laughed nervously. "Of course!"

Haruhi narrowed her eyes, almost inspecting the girl.

"Okay, Renge. I can't make it tonight, but how about we hang out some other time?"

"Really?" Renge perked up.

Haruhi laughed. "Of course! We should hang out outside of school too, right? I'll let you know next time I'm free."

"Oh, Haruhi, that would be great!" the brunette caught the other girl in a hug, causing Haruhi to stumble a little from the enthusiasm. "Thank you!"

"It's… no trouble."

Renge pulled back from Haruhi, beaming. "So-"

"Haruhi, I'm- oh. Hello Renge."

The girls paused to stare at Tamaki who had quite nosily made his way into the lounge, still wearing his plain and generic work uniform which contrasted greatly against the outlandish cosplays Renge was used to seeing the self-proclaimed king wearing.

"H-hey, Tamaki-senpai" Renge stammered, suddenly nervous. "Uh… well, I've imposed enough. I'll see you around, Haruhi" she offered politely, passing Tamaki as she left the apartment.

"Sure" Haruhi replied as the brunette shut the front door.

Tamaki looked from the door to Haruhi. "What was that abo-" he froze as he noticed Kotoko laying happily underneath her gym-mat toy*.

Following Tamaki's eyes, Haruhi quickly said "she knows."

"You told Renge?" It wasn't an accusation, just a question.

Haruhi shrugged. "Well, kind of. I didn't have much of a choice – she invited herself in and then Kotoko decided she wanted to meet her and started crying."

Tamaki groaned, bringing a hand up to run through his hair. "Do you think she'll tell anyone?"

Haruhi shook her head. "No. I think she considers me a friend. Besides, I explained out situation and she agreed not to say anything. I can't imagine why she would tell anyone."

"Good gossip material?" Tamaki suggested, earning him a glare from his girlfriend.

"Seriously, I don't think she's like that. I know you and the other hosts just thought of her as the annoying wannabe-cosplayer who forced herself into the host club, but she's a genuinely nice person. Maybe you could figure that out if any of you could look past just a person's influence."

Tamaki frowned. "Hey, I'm not like that! I proposed to you, didn't I?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Are you seriously going to get on me about the spoilt rich kid thing now? Because I don't know what else I could possibly do to convince you otherwise at this point!" he snapped.

Haruhi deflated a little, instantly feeling regret at his statement. "Point. Sorry. I just feel bad for her. She doesn't have a lot of friends and none of us were very subtle about feeling our real feeling about us before."

Tamaki didn't answer.

"Tamaki, I'm sorry about what I said. But I really don't thing Renge is going to say anything. We should give her a chance."

"Fine. Fine" Tamaki sighed. "But if she lets it slip to a single person, I'm getting Kyoya to draw up a non-disclosure agreement."

"Agreed."

Haruhi smiled at her win and left Tamaki's side to pick up Kotoko and sit on the sofa.

"Want to watch some TV, Kotoko?" she asked the baby in a slightly higher-pitched voice than normal.

Watching his girlfriend and daughter interact with each other reminded Tamaki of another thing he'd been meaning to bring up. "Haruhi... I think I'm going to leave university."

The brunette turned to look at him in surprise. "What? Tamaki, no-"

"Think about it" he interrupted, cutting her off immediately. "You're still at school and we need money. I have a job where I'm allowed to take Kotoko. If I left university I'd be able to work full time, get a higher pay, and we still wouldn't need to worry about daycare for Kotoko. I don't even need the course I'm doing now that the Suoh family has officially disowned me." He said this bluntly, a statement devoid of emotion instead of being sad about his family's rejection. "Haruhi, please. You need to get good grades to become a lawyer, and you can't do that if you're always tired from taking care of Kotoko. I need to step up, because you're our best hope" he accentuated his statement with a kiss on the cheek.

Haruhi sighed. "I don't want you to abandon your dreams."

"All I've ever wanted is a loving family" he admitted "now I want to make sure you can fulfil yours."

Haruhi shot him a worried look. "Are you sure about this?"

"I've been considering it for a while" he admitted.

The teenage girl sighed and pulled the baby closer to her. "Alright. It's your choice – just let me know if it gets too much."

Tamaki chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous – you'll never be too much for me!" he said directly to Kotoko, who simply stared up at her father in curiosity. "It's for the best" he added to Haruhi.

"I hope so" she said softly.

* * *

 **I pretty much wrote this whole chapter over the few days I had away from school, so I hope the quality is okay-ish! I just feel so bad when I don't update, and I miss hearing from you amazing people. Unfortunately, you're probably gonna have to wait a while for the next chapter again, but if we look on the bright side, I have less than 2 months of high school left! If you'd like to stay updated in the meantime, feel free to follow and chat with me on Tumblr at sevendeadlyseas**

 **Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the fluff cause it's all about to hit the fan**

 ***gym-mat toy thing – do you guys know what I'm talking about? Idk what they're called but babies lay under them and there's a mobile kind of thing dangling over them… idk**

 **Please follow, favourite and review!**

 **~ responding to reviews (haven't done this in a while! A lot to catch up on! ~**

 **Aweston1 – thank you so much! You can't leave links or personal information in reviews, but feel free to PM me or hmu on tumblr if you ever wanna talk :p**

 **Official Light Warrior – I'm glad you think my writings good enough, but next gens aren't really my thing, sorry! Original characters are such a struggle aha. I hope you continue to read and love this story!**

 **Yaly.97cello – I'm so glad you still like this story aha, especially since I've had such a hard time writing it. Yes, Tamaki is a dream man and he definitely makes the best of things – he's optimistic almost to the point of being annoying lol, but that's why we love him! Hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter!**

 **SSTrans – I'm trying to be more regular, I hope this chapter was to your liking!**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – get your sleep hon! Nah, I know what it's like to wait for updates, I'm sorry I haven't been more regular! It's definitely a challenge trying to imagine Tamaki as a commoner, and I hope I'm writing it somewhat realistically. Unfortunately, since Tamaki is no longer rich, he's just a crazy (Eur)Asian lol. I think I'll definitely draw inspiration from the movie to another fic someday though!**

 **Grinsekatze98 – You're so sweet! I promise I read every single review whether or not I'm able to respond in time or not, and they're always greatly appreciated! Thank you so much, and I hope you like the rest of the story!**


	29. Chapter 29

_SUOH ENTERPRISES HEAD DISOWNS HEIR_

 _THE TOKYO TIMES_

 _For those involved in the world of business, reputation means everything, and sometimes that means cutting those who disgrace your company's good name out of your life._

 _While it seems harsh, this is exactly what the head of the Suoh family conglomerate, Yuzuru Suoh has done to his only son, René_ _Tamaki_ _Richard de Grantaine Suoh._

 _The French-born heir was dismissed from the family for reasons unknown, though those close to the family speculate that it may be due to personal matters regarding his foreign mother or underprivileged girlfriend (whose identity is protected by child protective laws)._

 _Though he has been formally disowned, there has not yet been any legal changes regarding his inheritance or last name. The Suoh patriarch made a statement about this, saying that he wishes to give his son the opportunity to correct his mistakes before any permenant changes are made. However, this is currently seeming unlikely as the two have reportedly had no contact with each other since René_ _Tamaki_ _was formally disowned, and Yuzuru claimed to not know where his son is currently residing._

 _Tamaki Suoh could not be reached for comment._

Akira Komatsuzawa laid his newspaper down gently, a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, well, well. The famous host club's president has been disowned. How _interesting_."

Yes, he had made a vow not to write any more fake, defamatory article anymore. But reporting on real-life events was _hardly_ the same thing.

* * *

 _I am_ so _tired_.

For the first time in Haruhi's life, she had no idea what was going on in class. Between her teacher being off on a tangent from his physics lecture and the girls in her class still trying to be hosted in the middle of a lesson, Haruhi couldn't find the energy to actually pay attention to the topic at hand.

While Kotoko was gradually losing the urge to wake up every two hours or so throughout the night, taking care of her was still exhausting, and more often than not Haruhi experienced the urge to drop out of school altogether.

When the bell rang to notify the students that the day was ending, Haruhi barely noticed, still pretending to take notes as the other students filtered out of the classroom. She probably would have stayed behind if it wasn't for the twins who quickly reminded her to go home before running home to do some sort of work with their mother and her fashion business.

Slightly irritable and alone, Haruhi slowly packed up her belongings and walked almost trance-like out of the classroom. Unfortunately, it seemed like the universe wasn't going to allow her a peaceful afternoon off.

"Hey, Fujioka!" caught off-guard, she jumped as the newspaper president, Akira Komatsuzawa approached her.

"Oh, hello Komatsuzawa-san. I haven't spoken to you in a while." _Not since you tried to sabotage the host club_ , was left unsaid.

He didn't seem to take offence. "Indeed. I was hoping to remedy that, actually. I was wondering if you would be interested in doing an interview for the school newspaper?" he indicated forward and Haruhi took it as an invitation to walk, so the two fell into step heading towards the entrance of Ouran academy.

"Why would you want to interview me?" she asked bluntly.

"Well, your story is quite interesting, and a lot of the girls liked to spend time with you in the host club, so I'm sure they'd read a piece about you." Komatsuzawa explained.

"My story?"

"You know. A commoner earning a scholarship to such a prestigious school, posing as a boy for a year, what life was like overseas… your relationship with the other host members."

 _Ah. There it is_ , Haruhi thought.

"I'm really not that interesting," she said with a nervous laugh, "and I'm really quite busy at the moment."

"Oh, contraire" Komatsuzawa shot her a dazzlingly fake smile. "Time isn't really an issue. We could do a quick one now, while we're walking"

"Er-"

"For starters, what your relationship with Tamaki Suoh exactly? There's been lots of speculation that you two are dating but there's been no public announcement as of yet."

Haruhi frowned. "I have you announce my relationship? In what, a public statement?"

Komatsuzawa grinned. "Well yes, that is preferred, but this will do. Just for confirmation, you are dating?"

"Uh, yeah. Why would people care about that?"

"Young love, high school sweethearts, it gives young women hope and entertainment."

Ah. After being in the host club for so long, she should have known that.

"And did you live together in America?"

"Uh… no – well, kind of. We lived in the same building."

Komatsuzawa tilted his head. "Same building? What do you mean by that?" he asked quizzically.

 _Oh right, rich kid_ "we had separate apartments, but were close neighbours" she simplified.

"Right." He said in a way that told Haruhi he didn't understand, despite still jotting it down in the little notepad he held that she only just noticed.

"Wha-"

"Now, not to overstep my boundaries Fujioka, but there is a rumour that Tamaki is no longer residing in the Suoh household. Is this true? Do you know where he's staying, or why he left the Suoh household?"

Haruhi's eyes narrowed.

"If you want to know about Tamaki then you should ask him" she said shortly. There was no way she could answer those questions without there being some sort of consequence.

Komatsuzawa smiled apologetically. "It's just for the fangirls. They love a romance they can fight for." Clearing his throat, he continued with an air of professionalism, "how often do you two get to see each other with him in university?"

"It's not hard" Haruhi shrugged, letting the invasive question go. "He always makes time for us, and he's not even in university anymore." It was only a second after the sentence left her mouth that Haruhi realised she'd slipped up. Badly.

Komatsuzawa grinned shamelessly now and Haruhi cursed herself.

"Do you know why he is no longer attending university?"

Haruhi stared at him in what could only be described as revulsion. "No."

"You also said 'he makes time for us'. Did you mean 'us' as in yourself and the host club, or - ?"

"Yeah" she said shortly, quickening her pace to reach the schools gates. "Sorry, I need to get going."

All she wanted at that point was to get home. However, she knew she couldn't tell Tamaki. He was already stressed enough about trying to provide for them, and he probably already knew about the media frenzy, so there was no point in needlessly bringing it up and causing him to worry. No, she just needed to stay away from that newspaper club president creep.

Watching the girl run off, Komatsuzawa simply smiled smugly to himself. The commoner girl didn't know when to shut up. Perfect.

* * *

Dinners at the Ootori mansion were a quiet, if not tense, affair.

Those times that his father and brothers did join Kyoya for a meal were filled with awkward anticipation as Kyoya waited for whatever proposition one of them were about to make.

Sometimes there would be announcement at all, but the four of them would simply sit silently psyching each other out. It was an exhausting affair and one Kyoya was pleased to have avoided for his year abroad.

Today, Kyoya was thinking it was going to be the latter considering silence had dominated the conversation the entire night and they were finishing up their final courses.

Finally, after an hour, Yoshio stood up and addressed his sons. "You may be excused."

Akito and Yuuichi stood with Kyoya, the two of them moving to exit through the hallway leading to their father's private study, while Kyoya went to take the route closest to his bedroom.

"Kyoya, a word."

All three of the Ootori sons stilled as their father addressed the youngest.

Yoshio Ootori rarely spoke directly to Kyoya, preferring to split his time between his two oldest sons who were destined to take over the family business. It was from him that Kyoya picked up his habit of only associating with those who he could benefit from.

Of course, this begs the question, what did Yoshio want from him?

"Yes, father" Kyoya said politely, resuming his seat at the table.

"I wanted to know – Akito, Yuuichi, you can leave." He added sternly to the two older brothers, who were still standing at the room's entry-way. At their father's command, they instantly fled, like the good little dogs they were. Yoshio sighed. "As I was saying – I wanted to know if you had spoken to Tamaki Suoh recently. I heard some… interesting news earlier that I would like to clarify with you."

Oh shit.

If his father had found out about Tamaki, then there was no doubt every other major business partner of the Suoh's knew or would know soon.

Kyoya blinked, feigning obliviousness. "Yes, I think the last time I spoke to him was around a week ago." Lies. "He didn't mention anything particularly noteworthy." That part was true, unless you found every movement his and Haruhi's spawn made interesting.

"Oh? Well, being his friend, he must have told you about him being disowned?"

Kyoya faltered. "Ah… that he did."

"Do you know why he was disowned?"

Kyoya stared at his father. "Do you?"

Yoshio gave his son a wry sort of smile. "It's rude to answer a question with a question, Kyoya."

The teenager felt his jaw clench involuntarily. No matter what happened, his father always seemed to manage to get a step ahead of him.

"Well?"

"... Yes."

Here he decided that honestly was probably the best policy. It wouldn't take Yoshio long to figure it out, and there was no way he would buy that Tamaki wouldn't tell Kyoya, his best friend.

"Do you?"

Yoshio shrugged. "Yuzuru was adamant against letting any of his partners know, regardless of any personal connections."

"... Oh."

"You do understand, don't you Kyoya, that when we become personally invested with those who we compete against things can get sticky?"

"Yes, father."

Yoshio smiled. "Good. Then please understand that I harbour no ill-will against Tamaki or the Suoh's."

With that, he turned his back to his youngest son, leaving the room as only one thought ran through Kyoya's mind – _shit_.

* * *

"Go on… go on… yes! Well done, Koko!" Tamaki exclaimed, clapping his hands together in applause as he sat opposite his daughter. At three months old, he and Haruhi were pleased to see that she was developing healthily, all of her doctor's appointments caught up, and now, he was happy to report, she was showing the most basic signs of independence, able to prop herself up while laying down and supporting her head. She was starting to look less like the tiny infant they brought home what seemed like years ago and more like a growing toddler.

"Haruhi, did you see, she did it?!" Tamaki said happily, even as Kotoko fell, twisting to look at his girlfriend who was, to his displeasure, staring down at a chemistry textbook, coffee in hand, completely ignoring the other two people in the room.

"Haruhi!"

"Tamaki, I'm trying to study" the girl responded tonelessly, not looking up from her book.

"But Haruhi-"

"She's been sitting up for a week now, I've seen plenty of times but right now I need to do my homework."

Tamaki frowned. He loved his two girls more than anything, and he couldn't help but wonder how Haruhi could be so cold sometimes. Yes, she had school to worry about, but Kotoko was still her child.

"I-" as he began to speak, his mobile rang and Haruhi made a displeased noise. "I'm answering it" he retorted, his voice clipped. "Hey, Kyoya."

The other boy wasted no time with small talk. "Tamaki, we have a problem."

"What kind of problem? I seem to be having a lot lately."

"My father knows."

Tamaki stood up abruptly, knocking the coffee table as he did so.

"Tamaki, be careful!" Haruhi snapped, groaning before rushing to pick up Kotoko as she started to cry at the sudden disturbance.

"Shit-"

"Tamaki!"

"I – sorry, Haruhi! Sorry Kotoko" he added in a much softer voice.

"What do you mean your father knows? What exactly does he know? You didn't tell him about-"

"No, it's not Kotoko, you're safe there, though I'm sure that's only a matter of time too. He knows that you were disowned."

"Oh." Tamaki paused. "Well it was bound to happen sometime. How did he react?"

"He said, and I quote, 'I harbour no ill-will against Tamaki or the Suoh's', which translates to 'you don't have to be his friend anymore, but I won't force you to, and I'm going to treat the Suoh company like I would any other business I'd like to take over.'"

"Oh… well, that's good then."

"How on earth did any of that translate to 'good'?"

"Well, I am disowned, so it doesn't really make any difference to me what happens to the Suoh corporation. And he's not stopping us from being friends, so I don't see how-"

"Tamaki, you don't understand, he's willing to-"

"Kyoya, there's nothing I could do about it even if I wanted to."

"Tamaki-"

Fortunately at that moment, the Fujioka's front door slammed open as Ranka nosily made his appearance known.

"I'm home! Tamaki, are you ready?"

The blonde blinked at his girlfriends' father before quickly interrupting Kyoya. "Uh, sorry Kyoya, you'll have to excuse me."

Before the other boy could respond, he clicked his phone off.

"Ah, sorry Ranka… what exactly should I be ready for?"

"We're going out for dinner tonight." Ranka said matter-of-factly.

Haruhi groaned. "Does it have to be tonight? I have a test tomorrow and I need to study, and Kotoko still isn't sleeping well-"

"Oh don't worry, you can stay here," Ranka said dismissively, leaving Haruhi gaping at how easily he gave up, "I want to speak to Tamaki alone."

"… Oh. Okay" Haruhi said, confused. "Have fun…" she put Kotoko back under her toy and returned to her place at the table with her homework.

"Tamaki!" Ranka barked suddenly, causing the younger man to jump.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Are you ready to go? We need to be there by six."

"Uh yeah, sure. Where are we going?"

"Just a bar I used to work at." Ranka replied shortly.

"A bar? Will I be allowed in? I'm in not twenty-one."

"You'll be fine." Ranka said hastily. "Let's get going."

Tamaki quickly grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter and followed Ranka out of the room.

"We'll be back in a few hours, okay Haruhi, don't wait up for us." Ranka said absent-mindedly as they passed.

"Wait, a few hours? What am I supposed to do for dinner? I have to study, and Kotoko-"

"Is your child!" Ranka reminded her before pulling Tamaki out of the door and shutting it loudly behind them.

Tamaki, for one, was stunned. Whenever it came to the… less desirable aspects of parenting, Ranka was always quick to criticise and throw Tamaki under the bus, so it was surprising that he would treat his beloved daughter that way and let the father of her child off the hook.

"Uh…" he wasn't sure if he should say anything.

"She's always been a little uptight, and I used to wish that she would just relax and be a teenager. But recently she's been taking a lot of things for granted." Ranka sighed. "She should be thankful that she's allowed to continue with school, and be a little more grateful to you. If you hadn't stepped up, she would have to stay at home with the baby fulltime."

"Oh." Tamaki said, a little befuddled. "So… this is your form of… punishment?"

Ranka shrugged. "It isn't a punishment, it's forcing her to wake up and take responsibility. I know she wants to be like her mother, but she's leaning too much on the studious side and… neglecting Kotoko a little." Ranka frowned. "Anyway, we need to get going."

"Right" Tamaki nodded, trying to process Ranka's observations. Admittedly he had noticed Haruhi distancing herself from him and the baby recently, and hearing it from Ranka hurt. He didn't want his daughter growing up thinking she wasn't worth their attention.

"So, what are we doing, Ranka san?"

"I just thought you'd like to get out for a bit. Sometimes it's nice to have some time alone, it's good for both you and Haruhi."

Tamaki nodded, simultaneously grateful and worried that Ranka had picked up on all the negative energy around them recently.

Hopefully it wasn't an indicator that things were slowly taking a turn for the worse.

* * *

Half an hour into her studies, and Haruhi still couldn't seem to absorb anything. Every time she got to a new question, there seemed to be a distraction, mainly in the form of Kotoko. Even when she was sleeping, Haruhi swore she could hear the baby crying.

Once she finally completed her homework for the night, all Haruhi wanted to do was flop onto her bed to join her daughter for a nap, but the baby seemed insistent on continuing to play with her toys, and Haruhi had to admit she was hungry. Giving up on trying to sleep on an empty stomach, Haruhi decided to take advantage of the free time and call a friend.

"Hey Renge."

"Hi Haruhi! How are you?" the always bubbly girl responded almost immediately.

"I'm good – well, hungry," she laughed nervously, "you said we should hang out more often, and I was wondering if you would like to come hang out? My dad gave me some extra money earlier this week so I was going to get some take-out."

"Yes!" Renge said eagerly. "I've always wanted to try commoner food!"

Haruhi smiled. "I thought you might like to. Are you available now?"

"Yeah, I'll get my driver to drop me off at your place. I'll see you soon!" without waiting for an answer, Renge hung up.

Haruhi couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Renge was always an amusing person to speak to.

"Come on, Kotoko, let's get you ready." While waiting for Renge to arrive, Haruhi quickly changed into a more suitable outfit from her pyjamas, and placed Kotoko in the small cheap stroller they had purchased not so long ago.

Just as she was grabbing her purse, the doorbell rang and Haruhi rushed to answer it.

"Hey, Renge. I hope you don't mind walking into town" she said apologetically.

"No, of course! I want the whole commoner experience! Hello, baby!" Renge said as Haruhi pulled the stroller out of the apartment and turned to lock the door. "She's so cute! How has she already grown so much?"

"She's started sitting up on her own" Haruhi said with a hint of pride, remembering Tamaki's excitement earlier in the day.

"Aw!"

After a slightly complicated walk down the stairs in which they had to carry the stroller down so not to bump and disturb the sleeping baby, the two girls happily walked a short distance to the high street, chatting about anything and everything – well, mostly Renge.

"Here we are" Haruhi announced as the approached the popular fast-food chain. "Any idea of what you want?"

"I'm not sure what they sell" Renge admitted.

"Mostly burgers, but they also have-" at that moment, Kotoko woke up and began crying loudly, earning looks of annoyance from fellow customers. Blushing, Haruhi bent down to hush the child.

"Hey, it's okay, mum's here" she soothed the baby, unstrapping her from the stroller and holding her to her chest as she continued to sob pitifully.

"Ugh, look at her. So young and with a baby on her hip. Despicable" an old woman waiting in line huffed, earning looks from other passersby's.

Too busy blushing and trying to calm Kotoko, Haruhi didn't notice the look of shock and happiness plastered across the face of a fellow Ouran student, or the inconspicuous flash of a camera.

* * *

 **I was stuck on this chapter for weeks, and I'm sorry it took so long to come out, but I've been super busy. Fortunately, I did 2/3 of my exams last week and I have my last one this Friday. So eager for this week to be over, but unfortunately I doubt there will be another chapter next week as I am celebrating with my friends 18** **th** **over the weekend and then spending the next 4 days on holiday with my friends. Basically a graduation bender lol. So I hope this chapter is enough to pass the time!**

 **I realised halfway through that the newspaper clubs president was the same age as Mori and Honey and would have already graduated, but we're gonna just pretend he's in Haruhi and th twins year for the purpose of this story and me hating OC's, okay?**

 **Remember to review, follow, favourite, and follow me on Tumblr at sevendeadyseas !**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Grinsekatze98 – I read and appreciate every single one of my reviews xx thanks for taking your time to leave those lovely comments! I'm glad you like my writing and don't worry, there's plenty more smart ass Kyoya to come!**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – was this a good start lol**

 **Penstar1331 – I don't actually celebrate Halloween IRL so I like to get involved early online aha! I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last!**

 **SSTrans – same, want Tamaki to be happy but writing drama is so fun! I'm evil lol sorry! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Serenityrain2233 – sorry the update took so long :/ I hope the wait was worth it!**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – having a busy schedule sucks, right? I hope you liked this, whenever you get a chance to read it aha**

 **Araelixir – uh, not quite sure what you're referring to. Tamaki's father loves his son but has to obey his mother (Tamaki's grandmother) who wanted him disowned. So yeah, he doesn't have any inheritance or anything** **if you're still confused, PM me or message me on Tumblr at sevendeadlyseas**


	30. Chapter 30

It had taken a couple of weeks to compile a well-research, reliable news article about Haruhi Fujioka and Tamaki Suoh, but Komatsuzawa wasn't worried about the lapse in time. After the gap from his and Fujioka's impromptu interview, he was sure that the girl had been lulled into a false sense of security, and with these photographs, no one could doubt his claims.

Admittedly, he had been surprised to find out the truth about why Suoh was disowned. Most people assumed that having a low-class girlfriend was part of the reason, but no one could have anticipated the truth. However, Komatsuzawa was very pleased that he had been the first person to discover it. His reporting skills were truly shining through now, and his father was sure to appoint him heir to their company after he published this revealing article. Not even the idiots at Ouran could excuse away these incriminating photographs. For once, the newspaper club had a solid student story based entirely on fact.

 _THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SUOH DISOWNMENT_

 _(AND AN OURAN STUDENTS BIG SECRET)_

 _WRITTEN BY_ _AKIRA KOMATSUZAWA_

 _Ever since the public became aware of Ouran High School's former student (and son of the schools chairman) Tamaki Suoh's disownment from his paternal family, speculation has run wild. The former Suoh heir has been accused of everything from theft to not being the biological child of Yuzuru Suoh, but there have been a few theories that stuck, and have been confirmed with a twist no one expected._

 _The respectable Suoh heir entered a relationship with an Ouran scholarship student, Haruhi Fujioka at the end of the last school year. This relationship was a source of speculation for many due to the bizarreness of the situation._

 _Haruhi Fujioka, then a first-year student, had been posing as a boy and part of the host club that Suoh was the president of. The reasons for her deception are still unknown, and she and the rest of the since disbanded club seem reluctant to talk about it, calling into question any trust the students had for this mysterious woman. Haruhi Fujioka has no ties to any influential family, coming from a modest single-parent family, other than her comparably extremely wealthy (at the time) boyfriend. Many have speculated whether their relationship was real, an act of rebellion on Suoh's part, or a way for Miss Fujioka to secure a place in a financially secure family. While some initially scoffed at these ideas, it seems that they are more real than it seems._

 _By sheer coincidence, on the 11_ _th_ _of November, Ouran student Akira Komatsuzawa happened upon Miss Fujioka in public and was able to take these photographs of the seventeen-year-old._

Below there are several amateur but undeniable candid shots of Haruhi holding a baby in a commoner fast-food restaurant.

 _It is not difficult to discern the situation here._

 _Haruhi Fujioka and Tamaki Suoh only recently returned from an exchange program available for Ouran students in Boston, which took place over the course of the past year. While surprising, it is not impossible to believe the clear evidence presented in these photographs; during this time, the young couple conceived and had a child._

 _From the photographs, the infant seems to be only a few months old, and, if there are doubts of parentage, has clear traces of European descent, the most obvious of which being the blonde hair. This shows a solid link to Tamaki Suoh, who is Eurasian and actually of French nationality._

 _There were inquisitions into the legality of the situation, but it appears as though Tamaki Suoh is clear of any statutory rape accusations, as Miss Fujioka was above the age of consent in both Japan and Boston when the illegitimate child was conceived, so it does not appear that she intended to sue him, though it is entirely possible that she planned a pregnancy from the beginning, hoping to trap Suoh in a relationship and access his money that way. Unfortunately, if this was her plan, it backfired majorly, as Tamaki Suoh was promptly disowned when knowledge of the baby's birth reached his family and now has no money to his name. In fact, we learnt in an exclusive interview with Miss Fujioka herself that he is no longer in university._

 _It seems that Tamaki Suoh's life has taken a dramatic turn in the past nine-or-so months, and has a direct correlation with the storyline we were able to create with these images of Miss Fujioka with her child._

 _So, do you think we are right? Is the photographed infant with a striking resemblance to the host clubs self-proclaimed king the illegitimate child of him and Miss Fujioka? Has the woman who lied about something as basic as her gender also been lying about having a child? Has the golden couple of Ouran been playing us all for fools this entire time?_

 _Personally, I think the photographs speak for themselves. It seems pretty clear that Tamaki Suoh was disowned and kicked out of his home for having an illegitimate child with a lying commoner._

Komatsuzawa smirked and clicked 'print'.

* * *

After becoming accustomed to being bombarded by girls wanting to be hosted and hear about Tamaki or her other friends everyday, it was odd for Haruhi to walk into silence in class that morning.

There was an odd sense of awkwardness that fell over the room as she entered, the whole class turning to stare at her as she walked in.

Haruhi looking around for a second, not moving as she wondered what was so intriguing… there wasn't a stain on her shirt on anything, was there? Kotoko made sure to spit up on a lot of her tops, but Haruhi was always careful with her expensive uniform.

After determining that nothing other than her classmates stares were out of the ordinary, Haruhi awkwardly said "uh… good morning everyone" before walking to her desk. "Guys, what's going on?" she quietly hissed to the twins when their classmates continued to stare at her.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged sympathetic looks.

"What is it?" Haruhi asked, dreading the answer as she noticed the genuine concern in the twins faces.

"Um… you haven't seen the latest newspaper article, have you?" Kaoru said.

Haruhi shook her head.

Hikaru slipped the newspaper over to her and she quickly scanned the article, the blood draining from her face as she continued to read.

"It's bad, huh?" Hikaru commented as she set the paper down.

Haruhi swallowed thickly. "I think I'm going to be sick" she choked out.

"Seriously? You do look pretty pale" Kaoru said.

"Liars tend to panic when they get caught out" one of the boys in their class called out, evidently listening in to their conversation.

Haruhi stared at the boy uncomprehendingly.

"Haruhi, is this true?" one of the girls she used to host for asked shyly.

Haruhi sighed. "I-"

"Of course not!" Hikaru snarled, causing the girl to cower. "How could any of you believe any of the rubbish the _newspaper club_ comes out with?"

"They've been pretty reputable for the past few months. Who says they're not telling the truth now?" the first boy asked with a sneer.

"And there were photographs" another girl inputted, sounding almost as if she didn't want to believe it was true.

Of course the twins jumped right on that.

"And you were just going to believe their assumptions without asking her?" Kaoru snapped, equally as protective of his friend as Hikaru.

"Then what-"

"I was babysitting," Haruhi said loudly, finally finding her voice, "one of my neighbours offered to pay me to look after their baby for a night, and I couldn't leave her alone, so I took her out with me."

The boy who has been criticising her gaped.

"Does that clear it up for you, or would you like to interrogate her a little more?" Kaoru snapped.

"Do you really think our little scholarship student would do something as stupid as getting pregnant?" Hikaru added. Haruhi made a mental note to chastise him for that comment later.

"No, it's okay, you're right" one of the boys said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Forgive us, Fujioka!" the first girl practically begged, along with the rest of their class.

Haruhi chuckled half-heartedly. "It's… fine. Don't worry about it. Next time just ask me first." _And then give me time to think up an excuse_ , she added silently. _Thank god it worked this time_.

* * *

"No, no, no, no, no, Kotoko, put that down! How did you even find this?" Tamaki sighed as he grabbed the choking hazard out of his daughters' hand. While he loved seeing the little girl grow and develop every day, her recent affinity for grabbing everything within reaching distance (including but not limited to, dangerous choking hazards such as lost batteries and her daddy's hair) was causing him quite a bit of stress. He dreaded the day she started walking around. He could barely take his eyes off her as it is.

"I'm home!" at his girlfriends' announcement, Tamaki quickly shoved the small battery in his back pocket and picked up his daughter.

"We're in here!"

As Haruhi entered and put her schoolbag away, Kotoko made a happy "ah!" sound when she saw her mother.

"Hi, Kotoko!" Haruhi cooed happily, reaching out to take the baby from Tamaki's arms. He passed the child over, slightly confused but happy as he watched his girlfriend cuddle their daughter – a nice change from her usual routine of indifference and homework. "I missed you! Mummy loves you, you know that, right?"

To Tamaki's surprise, as she cuddled Kotoko with one hand, she used her other arm to hug him, burying her face in his chest similarly to how Kotoko did to her. Tamaki smiled as he realised yet another similarity between his two girls and enveloped the two in his arms.

"Hey… what brought this on? Not that I'm complaining."

Haruhi made an odd sound, starting off as something of a shy giggle but ended sounding more like a sob. Tamaki pulled back immediately.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Who made you cry?"

"They know… about Kotoko."

Tamaki stared at her as all the blood visibly left his face. "What? Who? For how long?"

"A couple of weeks, I think. The newspaper club posted an article about why you were disowned, and they blamed me and Kotoko. They had photographs of me holding her in public and… is this what life is going to be like? I can't even take my daughter outside in case someone from school sees us?"

"No, of course not!" Tamaki exclaimed, embracing her again. "It's okay, we'll work through it. I won't let anything bad happen to you just because people know."

Haruhi sniffed. "It's okay, I did damage control. I told them I was just babysitting, that Kotoko wasn't my kid."

Tamaki stiffened and instantly stepped back. Haruhi looked up at him with curious eyes.

"What-"

"Why would you do that?"

"What?"

"Lie? They already figured it out. It's not like my father would expel you, he's already punished me and actually wants the baby to have a decent chance at life."

"It doesn't matter if he would kick me out or not, it still reflects badly on me! I want to be recognised for my own accomplishments, if I left it would destroy all my chances at becoming a lawyer, but if the chairman let me stay people would say I was taking advantage of the Suoh's! Not that they're not already doing that" she added bitterly.

Tamaki glared at her. "I thought you didn't care about what people thought about you?"

"Reputation does matter sometimes, Tamaki!" she snapped.

Tamaki stared at her. " _Wow_."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry me and Kotoko are getting in the way of your dreams."

"Don't twist my words!"

"They hardly needed twisting" Tamaki scoffed.

Haruhi gaped at him. "I can't believe you."

"Well I can't believe you. Are you really that ashamed of us?" he snapped, practically snatching Kotoko out of Haruhi's hands.

"No!"

"Then why are you trying to hide this? My family already knows about her, and that's why I'm here."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have done."

The words cut like a knife.

Tamaki stared as his girlfriend looked up at him defiantly.

"So you are ashamed of us. Embarrassed. You regret having Kotoko?"

Haruhi snapped. "Excuse me for not being exactly proud of the fact I got pregnant at 16!" she shouted, prompting the baby to start crying in Tamaki's arms.

Tamaki bit his lip and simply tightened his grip on Kotoko. "Right."

He turned away from her and stormed off to the bedroom. Haruhi stood alone in the living room, astonished at his reaction. When faced with a problem, Tamaki usually yelled and/or cried. This was different.

"What are you doing?" she called.

He ignored her until he emerged from the room a couple of minutes later, a rucksack over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she repeated, this time sounding slightly panicked.

"You don't want me here. You don't _want_ Kotoko. So we're leaving."

Haruhi blanched, but quickly recovered to follow him to the front door. "Wait, what? Tamaki, no, I-"

She only stopped when the door slammed in her face.

Fuck.

* * *

Two hours later and Tamaki still hadn't returned.

Haruhi didn't really know why she was still waiting at this point. He had taken an overnight bag, so it was unlikely he would be coming home that night.

"Haruhi?" Hearing her dads voice call out through the apartment, Haruhi simply turned over and clutched the other pillow, hoping he would think she was asleep.

"Haruhi?" Ranka opened up the door, letting the light filter into the bedroom. The crossdresser frowned. "I know you're awake … where's Kotoko? And Tamaki?"

Damn. At the mention of their names, Haruhi could help but start crying again.

"Haruhi!" Ranka cried in alarm, immediately hopping over to hug the young girl. "What's wrong? Where's Kotoko? We weren't broken in, were we? Oh god, was she kidnapped? What-"

"When mum was my age, didn't she already have a university scholarship waiting?"

Ranka frowned in confusion. "Ah – I – yeah, she did tell me that."

Haruhi chuckled humourlessly. "And I have a baby."

Ranka sighed. "Haruhi-"

"She would be disappointed in me, right?"

"No!" Ranka exclaimed angrily. "She would love Kotoko! She would love Tamaki too!" he added reluctantly, knowing it was the truth.

Haruhi shrugged. "Right."

The teenager sniffled as her father began rubbing her back, desperate to comfort her in any way he could but not knowing quite how.

"Haruhi, what's wrong darling?" he asked, trying again.

The brunette shook her head. "I don't even know anymore … everything."

Ranka sighed. "Yes, that usually does tend to be the case. Can you at least tell me where Kotoko is?"

"She's fine. She's with Tamaki."

At least there was that. As much as Ranka would prefer Kotoko was home with them, she was safe with her dad.

"You two… didn't break up, did you?" Ranka asked anxiously. Of course, he didn't like that insolent insect, but for Kotoko's sake… he wanted the two of them to stay a couple.

Haruhi shrugged. "I… I don't know" as she began crying again, Ranka sighed and simply pulled his daughter into his arms. The questions could wait.

* * *

 **This chapter was very choppy and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. But damn I missed the drama! This chapter marks me going back to a normal weekly upload schedule, so the next chapter will be up at some point next weekend** **(Friday/Saturday/Sunday)**

 **Oh, and once you've read this chapter, we only have 9 left to go! I can't believe this is finishing, I'm going to miss it so much but I also can't wait to get back into writing for other fandoms**

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **SSTrans – hehe. I hope this lived up to expectations!**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much! And yeah, kind of lol. I rented a holiday home with some friends for the week and we chilled on the beach instead of getting smashed at actual schoolies, but it was fun**

 **ISwearAngelWasThere – back to regular updates now so enjoy aha**

 **WrenBlake74 – mwhaha!**

 **Mastercheif1173 – welcome to the club aha. I hope you enjoyed, and remember to sleep tonight!**


	31. Chapter 31

It wasn't until the sunlight came in filtering through the windows that Haruhi finally gave up on trying to get to sleep. How ironic, she thought, that the one time she was alone without a crying baby she was still keeping herself up crying. It had been a long night full of reliving her conversation with Tamaki and crying, and while Haruhi just wanted to bury her head under the covers and continue her pity-party, she was also getting hungry and knew her father would be up soon.

As she changed out of her pyjamas and left the bedroom to make breakfast, she couldn't help but feel guilty about the sense of peace that came with not having to deal with a baby first thing in the morning. _I really am a terrible mother_ , she told herself sadly.

Just as she was setting the table, Ranka emerged from his bedroom, pyjama-clad and stubbly, no traces of the usual crossdresser shown. Haruhi was sure she was the only person to ever actually see him looking like a man anymore.

"Morning dad."

"Good morning" Ranka yawned, tiredly rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I made breakfast" Haruhi said, gesturing to the table. Ranka brightened up when he saw the meal his thoughtful daughter had prepared.

"Oh, good! Thank you darling!" he exclaimed happily, hugging Haruhi tightly as he passed. She made a noise of displeasure as he squeezed her before joining him at the table.

They ate in awkward silence for the most part, until Haruhi finally stood to wash the dishes and Ranka finally made his move.

"So have you heard from Tamaki?"

Haruhi winced. "Uh… no."

"Do you know where he and Kotoko are?"

The teenager shrugged, turning her back to her father as she carried the plates to the sink. "Probably with one of the other guys in the host club. I doubt he went back to the mansion."

"Uhuh" Ranka frowned. "So, are you going to tell me what happened, and why you don't know where your daughter is?"

Haruhi winced again at her fathers' harsh tone. Ranka was usually a very level-headed, if not slightly too enthusiastic father, and was rarely stern with her. Of course, she didn't usually do anything that deserved such punishment.

"We had a fight."

"A fight?"

"Yes. We had an argument, so Tamaki took Kotoko somewhere else for the night. He's her dad, he's allowed to" she added when Ranka opened his mouth to protest.

"Not without consent." He argued.

"It's fine," Haruhi said sadly, "he had every right to take her… I said some really horrible things to him" she admitted with a hint of shame.

"You're allowed to be upset, Haruhi" Ranka said softly, but Haruhi shook her head.

"No, I was mean. I deserved to have her taken away, I'm… I'm not a good mother. Am I?"

Ranka shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous Haruhi. You're learning, nobody instantly knows how to be a good parent."

"Yeah, but I'm just bad," Haruhi deadpanned, "Tamaki is great, she's better off with him. I'm always focusing on school and busy with other things… I told him she was in the way last night."

Ranka groaned, inwardly flinching at the harsh tone. "Haruhi…"

"I know it was messed up."

Ranka sighed. "You just need to learn how to adapt. You're still at the top of your class, you're so smart; school doesn't have to be a priority anymore. Kotoko is far more important than any school, any job. She's a person, and I guarantee that she doesn't care what you do, so long as you love her."

Haruhi looked away, ashamed that even her father had noticed her neglecting her child.

"I'll try."

"You'll do" Ranka insisted, "but you regretting it shows that you're dedicated to changing. That shows everything will work out, eventually. I'm sure Tamaki will forgive you if you just explain yourself." He said, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm not sure" Haruhi sighed. "He was really hurt. And he loves Kotoko, he wouldn't stay with me if he thought it was a bad environment for her. What if we're not meant to be together?"

Trying to imagine life without Tamaki was almost impossible, but scarily close to reality in that moment. What if he didn't want to be her boyfriend anymore? What if he moved out and took Kotoko with him? She could lose her whole family over a few stupid words.

As she tried to hold back tears, her father held her tighter. "Don't worry. I'm sure this will all blow over soon. Tamaki loves you, he wouldn't give up so easily."

They pulled apart as Haruhi wiped her eyes, desperate to return to her stoic self.

Ranka looked at her contemplating. "Why don't I call Mei? It might be nice to have someone your own age to talk to" he suggested.

Haruhi shrugged. "Sure." She hadn't seen Mei in a while.

Of course, this was a decision she would later come to regret, as Mei was over in a matter of minutes, and instead of being an understanding friend, she was more focused on being a distraction for the moping Haruhi.

"Look on the bright side," Mei was saying as she sat on Haruhi's bed, absentmindedly braiding the other girls long bob-length hair, "you have something now you haven't had in months; free time!"

"Wow. Great" Haruhi rolled her eyes, her heart aching as she thought about Kotoko. She really had been seeing her as something in the way of her future – even her friend thought so. Some parent she was.

Mei sighed audibly, yanking Haruhi's hair a little too hard, causing the other girl to yelp a little. "Hey!"

"Calm down, you're fine," Mei said with a roll of her eyes, mimicking Haruhi, "and what I meant was you can't do anything about it while Tamaki and Kotoko aren't here. So you might as well have some fun. Take the opportunity to actually act like a teenager for once!"

"Ow!" Haruhi complained as Mei fiddled with her hair, finally pinning it up in some sort of fancy updo.

"Shut up, you look cute. Beauty is pain."

Again, Haruhi rolled her eyes at her ditzy friends' statement. "Whatever."

"Well, now that you're finally ready we can go out!" Mei exclaimed, hopping off the bed.

Haruhi frowned as she watched her friend flit around the room searching for her purse. "What are you talking about?"

"Here, put these on," Mei said, thrusting a matching skirt and top set at her friend, "you can borrow these. The top is too small for me, but you'll look cute in it."

Haruhi glared at her friend. "Thanks," she said sarcastically, "but what do you mean? I don't want to go anywhere."

"Yeah, that's why I'm forcing you. Get changed."

Haruhi sighed as Mei slammed the door shut, glancing down at the borrowed clothes.

Fine. It couldn't hurt.

She quickly slipped into the matching set, looking admittedly more feminine than she ever had in her life. It felt weird.

Of course, Mei was ecstatic. Clapping her hands together, she said "Oh my gosh! All the boys will be drooling all over you in that!"

Haruhi turned pink. "I don't want boys _drooling_ over me, thank you very much. Besides, I have Tamaki."

Mei cackled evilly. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be pissed about all this!"

"About all what? Where are we going? The point isn't to make him angry, Mei!"

The other girl shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Come on, let's go!"

" _Where_?"

As it turned out, Mei had only a meant a karaoke bar. After paying for a room, the two girls settled in on the couch and Mei started selecting a line-up of songs while Haruhi picked at the complimentary food.

"Are you ready?" Mei asked, handing her friend the microphone.

Haruhi groaned. "Are you really going to make me sing?"

Mei grinned. "I can't sing either – that's the fun of it!"

Sighing, but willing to go along with her friends charade, Haruhi took the microphone and partook in a ridiculous duet with Mei.

It was a stupid distraction really, but it was actually working.

As she and Mei sang along to everything from American pop songs to old TV theme songs from their childhood, all her worries seemed to slip away, Tamaki and Kotoko pushed to the back of her mind for the first time in months.

She almost hated to admit how much fun she was having.

Much to Haruhi's embarrassment, halfway through one of their songs, a waitress entered with some food and glasses.

"Thank you!" Mei said as the woman left, leaving Haruhi to finish the song alone as she sat back down on the couch, grabbing one of the drinks.

"What's all this?" Haruhi asked.

"I order some food and drinks when we came in," Mei explained, "here" she held up the other glass and Haruhi accepted, sipping the pink-tinted liquid before almost choking on it.

"Ugh – what is that?" she exclaimed.

Mei shrugged. "I'm not totally sure." She glanced down at the menu. "Pink Panther. Something, something, lemonade, and vodka" she shrugged, "nice enough!"

Haruhi put the drink down in disgust. "Mei!" she exclaimed as her friend took another sip. "That's alcoholic!"

"It's not even that bad, stop overreacting," Mei said, rolling her eyes, "you'll like it once you try it. Come on, it's good."

Sighing, Haruhi decided that just this once she could indulge her friend.

Once again, that turned out to be one of her less intelligent decisions.

Just another ten songs in, the karaoke bar was closing, and the two teenage girls were fairly tipsy.

"I'm gonna call a taxi to take us home" Mei, the more sober one of the two said, only slightly stumbling over her words.

Haruhi groaned. "Nooo, my dad, dad will be mad at me – again. Then he'll tell Tam-aki."

"I's okay, jus' come back to my place" Mei said, finally succeeding in hailing a taxi. The girls climbed in with some difficulty, and Mei told him the address.

"You sure you don't mind me staying at your place?" Haruhi asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. My mum and stepfather are out of town, so we can go to theirs."

It was a surprisingly short drive to the Yasumura's home, and after the girls split the bill for the driver they headed into the modest house and fell asleep almost immediately after hitting the bed.

* * *

Waking up in the late hours of the morning the next day in Mei's unmade bed was an odd occurrence. The curtains were wide open, the sunlight bursting in so brightly that Haruhi was surprised she hadn't been awoken sooner. She was still fully dressed in Mei's ensemble from the night before, and her braid was coming apart, sections of hair falling to rest below her shoulders.

Groaning, Haruhi pulled herself up against the headboard, wishing the sudden headache away.

"Owww" she couldn't help but complain as the movement created a wave of nausea.

"Wow, you're _such_ a lightweight."

Haruhi turned slowly to glance at Mei. The other girl was fully dressed in a new outfit, hair and makeup applied perfectly, and absolutely no traces of a hangover.

"How come you're fine?" Haruhi complained.

Mei laughed. "I only had like five drinks. You, on the other hand, drank like you had something to prove. Did drinking away your problems help?"

"Shut up" Haruhi mumbled. "I'm-" suddenly much more awake, the brunette jumped out of bed and darted to the bathroom.

Groaning on the tiled floor, she unhappily relived the first few months of her pregnancy.

 _At least I know what the cause is this time_ , she thought as she threw up all the food she had consumed in past 24 hours.

Mei knocked on the door when she seemed to have finished. "Hey, Haruhi, I'm going to get you a ride home, okay?"

She made an incomprehensible sound as a reply, so Mei took that as a sign to go ahead and quickly dialled the contact labelled as 'tricky bastard', AKA, Kyoya Ootori. Ever since he tricked her into revealing the truth about Haruhi's pregnancy, she had developed a deep distrust of the man, but also knew he was both Tamaki and Haruhi's friend and would likely help out – and could probably help with Haruhi's hangover, with his family being involved in the medical industry and all.

"Kyoya Ootori speaking."

"Oh – hey. It's Mei, Haruhi's friend."

"And you are calling me because?" Kyoya snipped, dropping the automated friendly response he always seemed to adopt when first answering the phone.

"Haruhi is practically passed out at my place. Can you get her home?"

"Passed out?"

"Well, she's just vomiting at the moment" Mei clarified casually.

"Great, is she pregnant again?"

"Nope, just hungover."

"… What? Why does the first option sound more viable?"

"She's rebelling backwards" Mei sighed. "Look, can you get her out of here, or what? I think she just needs to talk to Tamaki, do you know where he is?"

"Of course I do, he's at my house" Kyoya groaned. "Okay, fine, I'll come with a driver and take Haruhi back to her apartment."

"Are you going to tell Tamaki?"

"What good would that do me?"

Mei rolled her eyes. "Not everything is about you. Just help your friends out. Haruhi's hurting. I'll text you my address." Without waiting for an answer, she quickly hung up.

Thankfully, the shadow king seemed to take her advice as he showed up at her maternal home in minutes with his entire entourage.

Fortunately, by that time Mei had led Haruhi out and gotten her a glass of water, so they were waiting in the kitchen when Kyoya arrived with his bodyguards.

"You called Kyoya?" Haruhi groaned when she saw her friend approach.

"A pleasure to see you as well, Haruhi" Kyoya deadpanned with a smile.

"I called him to take you home."

"Whyyy?" Haruhi groaned, prompting both her friends to roll their eyes at her childishness.

"Sorry, would you have preferred I call your father?"

"Fine." Haruhi slid off of the kitchen stool and reluctantly followed Kyoya out of the room. "Thanks for letting me stay, Mei."

"Anytime" she could practically hear the blonde's smirk from the kitchen as they exited the house.

The rest of Kyoya's entourage led the two to the waiting limo outside, and Haruhi felt like covering her face when she noticed a gaggle of Mei's neighbours crowding the expensive vehicle.

"Get in" Kyoya said impatiently as he opened the car door for her.

She mumbled a thanks and crawled into the car, buckling up as Kyoya followed her. They sat in silence for a moment as the limo driver pulled out, then Kyoya turned to the younger girl.

"What on earth were you thinking, Haruhi?"

Haruhi chose not to answer, glaring at him instead.

Kyoya sighed. "I don't know how having a child can make you act _less_ adult, but lately it seems like you and Tamaki have switched personalities – almost. It's annoying."

"Well, I'm sorry Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi spat, "I didn't realise my behaviour was affecting your life so much."

"Actually, it is," he said matter-of-factly, "as Tamaki is currently hiding out in my home. He's annoying and your child is loud" he told her, as if it was news.

Haruhi sighed. "Well, at least I know where they are now. But it's not like I told him to leave."

Kyoya gave the girl a once-over. "Listen, Haruhi. You and Tamaki are both stressed out. But you need to grow up and work through your problems maturely. Not go out looking like a scandalous commoner and getting drunk."

Haruhi huffed, trying to disguise her hurt as anger. "These are Mei's clothes" she muttered defensively.

Kyoya sighed. "Stop dodging, Haruhi. Get your act together, for Kotoko's sake."

Refusing to cry in front of Kyoya, Haruhi simply nodded as she tried to blink back tears.

"I know" she admitted. "Just… let me go home and sleep off this headache, then I'll talk to Tamaki."

Kyoya seemed to accept this, simply nodding.

"Well, we're here."

"Already?" Haruhi glanced out of the window. "Oh. Thank you for the ride, Kyoya-senpai."

"Well, don't expect this special treatment all the time. I'll be adding the cost of petrol and my lost time to your debt." He flashed her a rare honest smile, and Haruhi couldn't help but return it.

"Goodbye, senpai."

"Goodbye. Oh, and good luck with Ranka."

Haruhi stared at the limo as it vanished, realising for the first time what she'd done. She'd basically snuck out and disappeared for the night. Shit.

Almost wanting to run away again, Haruhi reluctantly climbed the stairs up to her apartment and opened the squeaky door as quietly as possible. However, this tactic obviously failed as Ranka seemed to immediately descend upon her, his face full of an anger Haruhi hadn't seen since she was 10 years old and accidentally smashed the window in her room by trying to play basketball indoors.

 _No, actually he looked angrier now_ , she decided as she watched the crossdresser silently stew. For a moment.

"Haruhi Fujioka. _Where have you been_?"

Haruhi suddenly felt as though she was an inch tall. "Um. Mei's house."

"I called Misuzu. He said you weren't there."

"Her mother's house" Haruhi corrected.

Ranka's eyebrows furrowed together in anger. "I haven't even _met_ her mother before, Haruhi!"

Haruhi shrugged, moving to pass her father, setting her bag down on the coffee table in the living room. "It doesn't matter, she wasn't there."

"What?"

"What difference does that make? I'm home alone here all the time."

"I trust our neighbourhood! I don't even know where Mei's mother lives!"

"It's fine – nicer than ours actually" she added thoughtfully. "And I was with Mei."

"Mhmm, drunk apparently."

Haruhi groaned. "I'm going to kill Kyoya."

"Kyoya never called me, you just smell like a brewery."

 _Yeah you would know_ , Haruhi thought, resisting the urge to remind her father about all the times he would come home drunk when she was just a child.

Instead, she simply hung her head. "I'm sorry, dad. I was being stupid."

Ranka nodded. "Yes, you were." He sighed dramatically. "Why did the teenage rebellion have to start now? I'd thought I dodged a bullet with you, but then all of sudden you come home with a baby, and now it's underage drinking!"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about the other thing?" Haruhi said monotonously.

Ranka glared at her, noting her smart tone. "Of course. Where is my granddaughter, Haruhi?"

Flinching, Haruhi said "she's with Tamaki at Kyoya's."

Ranka sighed. "Well at least I have an answer this time." He shot his daughter a pitying look. "You look awful. Get in the shower and sleep off your hangover, but I want you to call Tamaki first thing tomorrow. If you don't, I will."

Haruhi nodded, suddenly aware of how sleepy she was. "I planned to talk to him anyway. I think I will go to bed first though…"

* * *

The next day brought Haruhi a much nicer awakening than the previous morning. For the first time in months, there was a wonderful sense of being well-rested, peaceful, and thankfully headache and nausea free.

Nevertheless, Haruhi would trade it all to have her daughter and boyfriend back.

Checking the time, Haruhi decided it wasn't too early to call the early bird Tamaki, and quickly changed and got ready for the day before grabbing her phone. She sat on her newly-made bed and stared at Kotoko's crib as she worked up the courage to press the call button on Tamaki's contact.

Taking a deep breath, she finally hit the button and prepared herself for an awkward conversation.

The phone rang for one… two… three… four… five times, before he finally picked up.

"Hello?"

Her heart almost seemed to clench as she heard Tamaki's voice for the first time in days.

"Haruhi?"

"Hey, Tamaki."

A beat of silence.

"I'm sorry" Haruhi said, her voice breaking ever so slightly. "I'm so sorry. Can we… can we talk?"

"We are talking" Tamaki countered coolly.

Haruhi bit her lip. "O-okay. Um, I want you to come home. So does Kyoya, I think" she laughed nervously.

"You want me back now?"

Haruhi winced. The man on the phone sounded nothing like the man she loved.

"I just want to talk to you. You don't have to move back in if you're still mad at me, but… you just hide from me forever. I want to work things out."

Silence again.

Then Tamaki sighed. "Fine then. I'll be there soon."

"You'll bring Kotoko?"

"What kind of parent do you think I am?" Tamaki retorted scathingly.

Haruhi smiled sadly. "A better one than me."

Tamaki spluttered for a second, torn between defending Haruhi and being mad at her. "I… I'll see you in a minute."

True to his word, Tamaki showed up at the Fujioka's front door in a matter of minutes, hands around a sleepy-looking Kotoko.

"Kotoko!" Haruhi exclaimed in happiness as she answered the front door, arms immediately going to her daughter.

Kotoko squealed in delight, clearly pleased to see her mother after days away from her, and was instantly enveloped in a warm hug.

"I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder" Tamaki said snippily, entering the household and shutting the door behind him before snatching Kotoko back out of Haruhi's arms.

Haruhi took a step back as he did so, feeling as rejected as humanely possible.

"Look, Tamaki… I'm so sorry. I don't know why I said what I said – well, I do, I was emotional and acting stupid."

"Yeah, I noticed. Kyoya had to pick you up yesterday because you were hungover. What were you thinking drinking Haruhi?"

The teenager hung her head. "I don't know! I've been really stupid the past few days, and I'm so, so sorry. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, and I do love you, so so much. I'm not ashamed of you or Kotoko, I'm so proud that we have such a beautiful baby together and I just wish I could show her off to the world." She took a chance in moving forward to cup his cheeks, and was delighted when he didn't move away. "The circumstances don't excuse the actions, and I'm so, so sorry. I know actions speak louder than words, which is why I'm 100% dedicated to being a better mother and girlfriend. I know I hurt you, but please give me another chance."

There was a moment of silence before Tamaki swore quietly and ran a hand through his what she now recognised as unbrushed hair.

"Agh… I know. I'm sorry I've been acting childish."

Haruhi felt her eyes fill up with tears and couldn't help but envelop him in a slightly awkward hug.

"Does that mean you'll move back in?" she asked hopefully.

"No." Tamaki replied bluntly. Haruhi's face fell. "I think I'll stay with Kyoya for a while, at least until our relationship is a little more stable again. But I still love you" he added, almost reluctantly.

Haruhi nodded, biting the inside of her cheek tightly, willing herself not to cry.

"O-okay. I understand. I just – can Kotoko stay with me for a bit? I feel bad for saying such horrible things and the practically abandoning her."

Tamaki eyed her for a moment before nodded.

"Well… yeah, you're her mother."

Haruhi beamed and reached out to receive Kotoko, who squealed happily again as her mother began to coddle her.

"Do you mind if I grab some clothes and other stuff? I didn't bring much and I can't keep wearing the same two sets of clothes everyday."

Haruhi blanched. "Uh… yeah, sure, help yourself."

She moved out of the way to allow Tamaki to enter the bedroom, watching at the door as her boyfriend packed up his things, shoving most of it into another backpack.

"Well, I'm off then" he said not five minutes after starting.

Haruhi frowned. "Already?"

"Yeah" he moved towards her to plant a kiss on Kotoko's head. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Haruhi gave a sort of half smile and leaned up to kiss Tamaki on the cheek, but he blanked her, turning away and ignoring her as he exited the house.

As the front door slammed shut, Kotoko began to cry.

* * *

 **Waaaah sorry about the late update! I don't really have an excuse this time, except I keep shuffling things around to fit with a timeline while still keeping chapters long and interesting… it's actually harder than I thought it would be and really sucks the motivation out of you. At this point writing this fic has become a bit of a chore and I kinda just want to get it over with. Not a good thing, but hey, it's been nearly a year and I miss writing for other fandoms. But hey, I'm not a victim and you're allowed to be mad! I just want to make sure this fic is as interesting as possible and trying to get rid of fillers :/**

 **So about the karaoke drinking bit – Haruhi is still a teenager, and is bound to make some stupid decisions, like all teenagers, especially with the amount of shit Haruhi is dealing with. A think she's entitled to have a bit of a rebellious breakdown. Also idk if karaoke places in Japan actually serve alcohol, but they I know they do here since me and my friends were offered drinks when we were like 14, so I imagine it's not that hard to get it at 17 – even if the drinking age there is 21. Anyway, hope you didn't think it was too OOC!**

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **Araelixir – oh wow, I understand now, I'm so sorry! TBH I've rewritten and taken parts out of the outline for part 2 so many times at this point and this is one of the things I missed out. Totally my fault. I'll need to go back later in editing to avoid confusion in the future and make it clearer, but this conversation is made null and void when Tamaki returns to Japan and meets his grandmother in person. Since she is the actual head of the family she controls everything and was the one to decide who becomes heir, and since she disowns Tamaki he loses his security. This is definitely something I need to rewrite, so I'll rectify my mistake by saying Yuzuru tried, but ultimately Shizue makes the final decision. Soooo sorry!**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – same same, we're all here for the tea! And 9 chapters left at max, as I said before I'm doing some shuffling :/ always love talking to you in the reviews and on tumblr**

 **Krys2007 – sorry for the cliffhanger! I don't suppose this chapter was any better? Haruhi is pretty OOC for the majority of this fic, especially in these couple of chapters, but I'm trying to imagine them in this situation and hope it's at least somewhat realistic and reflects the pressure… kinda? Aha, you let me know!**

 **WrenBlake74 – thanks for the review hon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much, and don't wake anyone up when you scream! (I just assume that everyone reads fanfiction in the middle of the night idk, but maybe try not to scream anyway lol)**

 **Dragon Ma'am – oh god, if this was an actual storyline in the manga I would freak! Hopefully I'm doing it justice though!**

 **SSTrans – there will be 9 chapters MAX left (again, doing some shuffling!) INCLUDING an epilogue. I usually detest epilogues and normally actually skip reading them myself, but I can't resist writing one lol, though it won't be set too far in the future.**

 _ **Please remember to review and follow me on Tumblr at sevendeadlyseas**_


	32. Chapter 32

A week had passed since Tamaki and Haruhi's 'meeting', and since then Tamaki had remained, much to Kyoya's dismay, holed up in the Ootori mansion, besides the times he left for work.

While Kyoya had become quite adapt at ignoring his friend over the past few years, it was difficult to pretend Tamaki wasn't there at 1 in the morning when he decided to come in and moan about his personal problems. It was on one such night that Kyoya finally gave up trying to get his course work done and simply threw Tamaki a scathing look and decided to give him a word of advice.

"For goodness sake Tamaki, just go and talk to her!"

Tamaki looked confused at his friend's outburst, used to Kyoya simply sitting there quietly listening while doing his work (or so he thought).

"We did talk! We agreed to get along."

"That's not enough, idiot! Haruhi wants you back there."

"She hasn't said anything about it."

"Because you won't speak to each other!" Kyoya practically growled in frustration.

"We know where we are. I still love her, we just cant live together right now" Tamaki said, shifting uncomfortably.

"You haven't spoken to her in days."

"Yes, but-"

"You have a _child_ together. You two have to stop acting like stupid teenagers, regardless of your age. It's not fair to Kotoko."

Tamaki glared at the brunette. "We're not affecting Kotoko."

"I'm sure she misses her dad, and you're on the other side of town."

"She's not even 4 months old yet."

Kyoya rolled his eyes. "She's still a person, she recognises her parents and probably wonders where you are."

Tamaki huffed, falling back to lean against the wall. "She's fine." He muttered.

"Really?"

"Fine then!" Tamaki practically shouted. "I'll bring her to stay here tonight."

Kyoya blinked. "What?"

"If you don't think I've been being a good enough father, I'll bring her to stay here for the night" Tamaki said decisively.

"What? No, Tamaki, I meant you and Haruhi should move back in together."

"That's not the best thing for our relationship right now."

"Neither is a baby!" Kyoya retorted in annoyance.

Tamaki didn't reply, shooting his friend a fierce glare instead. "You said I needed to spend more time with her!" he said accusingly.

"I… fine" Kyoya spluttered, leaning back in his chair in defeat. "Fine, do what you want! Just keep her quiet!"

"Don't be stupid," Tamaki said dismissively, instantly switching back to his regular impossibly positive personality, "it'll be like a slumber party!"

The other boy simply groaned as his friend continued to rattle on about his beloved daughter, paying no mind to Kyoya's feelings on children as he organised the get together.

* * *

While the Christmas holidays were fast approaching, that didn't mean the school workload was lessening.

Haruhi found herself staying back late at school more often than not to finish her mountainous homework before returning home to look after Kotoko. Thankfully, today was one of the rare days on which she was ahead of her homework and could afford to take the afternoon off to spend with her daughter.

"Dad, Kotoko, I'm home…" her announcement faded out as she noted the absence of people in the apartment.

Frowning, Haruhi hung her book bag up before searching the house for her father. Since Kotoko was born, Ranka certainly spent more time at home to babysit his granddaughter and Haruhi would often come home to find him playing with the almost four-month-old.

"Dad" she called out, opening the master bedroom door looking for her parent. On this occasion he hadn't appeared to stray too far, as she found him lounging on the bed in his _casual_ casual wear – a rare occurrence for Ranka, who usually at least adorned women's loungewear as opposed to what he was wearing now, black track pants and an oversized mens shirt.

"Dad," her eyes narrowed as she noticed her daughter's absence, "where's Kotoko?"

"Hmm" Ranka glanced up sleepily, and Haruhi instantly felt guilty about interrupting the little rest he got. "Kotoko? Tamaki came by to collect her earlier. Didn't he tell you?"

Haruhi groaned in frustration. "No! he never even texted me… why did you let him take her?"

"Stop overreacting Haruhi. It's not like I gave her to a stranger, he's her father."

"The way he's been acting he might as well be a stranger" Haruhi muttered angrily.

Ranka rolled his eyes. "It's not like you're innocent in all this – you haven't called him either."

Haruhi sent her father a look of betrayal, to which he simply rolled his eyes again.

"I won't tolerate your attitude, young lady."

Haruhi looked down in shame, recognising the unfairness of her misdirected anger "sorry."

"I accept your apology" Ranka said professionally. "Now, I feel like I haven't spend time with you in forever. What do you think about having a little father daughter time?"

In all honesty, all Haruhi wanted to do in that moment was curl up in a ball and go to bed. She'd had a long day at school and the thought of having a night off from homework and babies was almost irresistible.

Almost.

She truly did miss her dad. Even though they always saw each other, it wasn't always spent bonding.

"That sounds great, dad."

* * *

Kyoya had had enough.

He truly had the most idiotic friends on the planet, and he had decided that he was going to put a stop to their ridiculous antics.

Considering he had lost sleep over their mistakes (namely Kotoko's crying throughout the night), he'd had plenty of time to scheme and had finally come up with a way to get them to talk to each other: force.

It was seven in the morning, and since Tamaki had the audacity to sleep while he kept Kyoya up all night, Kyoya didn't see a problem with waking _him_ up for once.

Sitting up in bed, Kyoya glanced down at where Tamaki lay and couldn't help but purse his lips in frustration, annoyed that even he couldn't deny the cuteness of the scene before him.

A pyjama clad Tamaki was passed out on the edge of the sofa at the end of Kyoya's bed, practically drooling in his sleep, the very picture of exhaustion, though the image was saved by the adorable infant resting on her father's chest.

Strangely, little Kotoko seemed to already be awake and was staring at Kyoya with her big brown eyes in what could only be described in curiosity. It was odd that a child so young was already so inquisitive and considerate to not start screaming the second she woke up, and Kyoya simply credited it to Haruhi's smarts.

However, just as he was beginning to marvel the infant's calm manner, Kotoko's face slowly scrunched up, and before Kyoya could react at all she was screaming at the top of her tiny lungs.

How could something so small cause so much noise?

Tamaki started at the sound, jolting up into a sitting position which admittedly made Kyoya jump when Kotoko started sliding down Tamaki's midsection, but thankfully the teenager seemed to have developed reflexes when it came to this sort of thing and easily caught his daughter before she fell.

"What the…" the blonde boy murmured, his speech slow and drowsy despite his alarmingly awake demeanour.

"Good morning. I was about to wake you but unfortunately Kotoko beat me to it." Kyoya stated dryly.

"Right…" Tamaki yawned before sitting up properly, adjusting the still sobbing baby in his arms.

Kyoya winced. "I would very much appreciate it if you could quieten her."

"She's probably hungry" Tamaki said as he bent down to reach into his bag and pulled out a bottle of formula milk. "I need to heat it up."

"Use the kitchen." Kyoya said, too unbothered to fetch a maid.

"Fine," Tamaki stood up abruptly and plopped Kotoko into his friends arms before Kyoya realised what he was doing, "hold her for a minute" he said before exiting the room.

"What? Tamaki!" Kyoya protested as the other boy shut the door behind him. "I – ugh!" he groaned before looking down at Kotoko. She had briefly stopped crying to look at the man she had been left with.

Kyoya sighed and tried to shift the girl into a less awkward position but she left out a sob when he attempted it and so he stilled. Kotoko seemed content with this and turned to look up at Kyoya, who had never been more terrified.

Despite being from a bigger family, Kyoya was the youngest of the four Ootori children and had therefore never spent much time around children, and certainly none as young as Kotoko.

How did one even interact with such a young human? She was too young to understand half of what he said, let alone talk or walk. The only way to really entertain the child was –

"Ow!" Kyoya exclaimed shortly as Kotoko reached up to grab a fistful of his hair. "No, Kotoko – ow" he repeated as he attempted to pull back, only for Kotoko to pull harder back. _How is she so strong? She's tiny!_ He thought disgruntledly.

"Kotoko, stop it" he commanded in his best authoritarian voice.

Then the child had the audacity to giggle.

Kyoya glared down at the child who still held a fistful of his hair, only for her to grin back up at him.

He huffed. "You're lucky you're so small. This sort of behaviour won't be at all acceptable in a few years – when you're an independent being."

Thankfully, he heard his friends familiar laugh in the doorway as Tamaki returned.

"You look like you need some help" he teased.

Kyoya shot Tamaki his best demon glare, but the boy just laughed. "Sorry, Kyoya, you're just not that intimidating when you have a baby attached to your head."

"Get her off!"

"Fine, fine. It's a shame, it seems like she likes you!"

"Yay."

He left the father and daughter pair to their own devices, returning to writing in his little black book before he was again interrupted.

"A… achoo!" Kyoya groaned as Tamaki began to sniffle, setting his book down once again and glaring at the other boy.

"Can you keep quiet for even a moment, Tamaki?"

The blonde blinked sluggishly. "Sorry" he said simply before sneezing again.

Kyoya sighed. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tickle."

Kyoya stared at his friend. "What?" he asked in exasperation.

"I'm fine, Kyoya! Achoo!" he added involuntarily.

With a shake of his head, Kyoya admitted defeat and moved forward to snatch Kotoko out of her fathers' arms. Tamaki didn't resist the action but did shoot his friend a quizzical look.

"You might think you're fine, but Kotoko barely has an immune system right now," Kyoya explained, "the last thing you want to do is get her sick."

Tamaki opened his mouth to protest, only to pause when he recognised his friend's logic. "Well, what am I supposed to do with her?"

Kyoya looked down at the content baby in his arms, her eyes meeting his inquisitively. Sighing, he begrudgingly said "I suppose I can supervise her for the day."

Tamaki frowned. "She's a baby, Kyoya, you can't just sit her down and work all day. She needs to be looked after constantly, and you actually need to engage her. I'll just take her back to Haruhi's-"

"No," Kyoya interrupted, "you and Haruhi are spending the day together sorting out your issues."

Tamaki sat up, wide eyed. "No, Kyoya, not yet-"

"I'm calling her" Kyoya interrupted dismissively as he grabbed his phone from the table.

"Kyoya!"

Tamaki tried to lunge forward, intending to snatch the phone out of his hand but recoiled as Kyoya turned, effectively using Kotoko as a shield. All Tamaki could do was simply glare as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Haruhi."

"Kyoya Senpai? Good morning. Is ah... Is Tamaki with you?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes. That's why I called; your idiot of a boyfriend is stubborn _and_ sick, so while I'm babysitting your daughter would you be so kind to pick him up?"

Haruhi made a confused noise. "What? Oh for… yeah, fine."

"Excellent," Kyoya said cheerfully while Tamaki groaned in the background, "I'll send a car to collect you."

"Thank you, Kyoya senpai."

Kyoya set the phone and looked up to see Tamaki glaring at him.

"You're welcome" he said pleasantly. "I'll see you later."

"Wait, what? Where are you going?" Tamaki exclaimed, standing when Kyoya walked out of the room with Kotoko in his arms.

"As the future owner of a large medical corporation, I can't in good conscience leave a vulnerable child around an ill person. Besides, you and Haruhi need to talk alone!" Kyoya called out even as he walked away from his friend.

Tamaki simply groaned and flopped back onto the bed.

* * *

The Ootori servants were probably the most efficient group of workers Haruhi had ever met. They were certainly highly motivated to do their job correctly, as she was escorted from her home to the awaiting limousine and then all the way to Kyoya senpai's home by a gaggle of security officers dressed in suits. Not the most practical attire, but Haruhi supposed it helped to keep up appearances.

She shook her head, willing the pointless thoughts away as she took a deep breath and prepared to face Tamaki. She hadn't seen him in days, and she couldn't say she didn't miss him, but she was afraid to see him; she knew she'd messed up, big time.

With one final sigh, Haruhi knocked on the door, and was surprised to be greeted with a prompt "come in" from Tamaki.

Inhaling shakily again, she entered the room.

Tamaki had his back to her, sitting on the edge of Kyoya's bed and seemed to be restlessly twirling bouncing his leg. A nervous habit she had become accustomed to in the past few months of living with him.

"Hi Tamaki" she said in a small, unsure voice.

"Hey" Tamaki replied, somewhat steadily.

There was an awkward beat of silence, and Haruhi couldn't help but cringe. Is this really what their relationship had come to?

"So, um," Tamaki cleared his throat, "I heard you were doing well."

Haruhi frowned, confused. "What?" she certainly had _not_ been doing well. She was a wreck practically every day!

"Well… no, I haven't." Tamaki admitted. "I actually heard that you got drunk with Mei" he said accusingly, "I was wondering if you were going to tell me."

Haruhi flushed. "I assumed Kyoya told you. It was stupid."

"Yeah it was" Tamaki said harshly, and Haruhi flinched. She hated it when he was cold towards her. It didn't feel like her Tamaki. "You don't have a baby for a day, so the first thing you do is go out and drink? I _cried_ the first night I left because I felt like I abandoned Kotoko! You celebrated!" he snapped, finally turning around to face her.

"I was upset! That's why I agreed to go out with Mei, I thought it would cheer me up!" Haruhi replied defensively, struggling to keep a level voice.

Tamaki made a derisive sound, and Haruhi found herself glaring at him.

"You're a lot of things Tamaki, but I never thought of you as inconsiderate!"

" _I'm_ inconsiderate?"

"Yes!" Haruhi snapped definitively. "People handle things in different ways!"

"Oh, and yours is drinking? Excellent. I'm glad our daughter has such a good role model!"

At that remark Haruhi's jaw tightened as she willed herself not to start crying.

"That's not it! You don't get it, Tamaki. I… ugh!" she groaned and sat on the bed as well. Why couldn't she seem to put her thoughts into words?

Tamaki didn't respond, but did watch her, patiently waiting for her to compile her thoughts.

"Tamaki…" Haruhi sighed. "I don't … I know I'm not the best mother – I don't know how to be one, and I don't really know how to act around children. Not only did I not have an example, but I never really acted like a child either. I never had the _chance_ to be a child." She stressed. "When my mum died, I instantly became an adult, doing everything she did that dad couldn't. I went from being five to twenty-five – I completely skipped being a teenager. I was never rebellious, or difficult, or stayed up late or anything. When I came to Ouran it got better, I had genuine friends and we got to do crazy things together in the host club and I finally felt like a real teenager – and then suddenly I was pregnant and had my own child and had to be an adult again."

There was a brief silence.

"So… you wanted to… have one last night of teenage rebellion?" Tamaki said, his head tilted to indicate confusion, rather than anger.

Haruhi shrugged, feeling a little unsure herself. "I don't know. Maybe subconsciously? I don't know" she repeated self-consciously. "But I promise it will never happen again" she added, reaching out to place her hand on Tamaki's shoulder comfortingly as she noticed his equally as worried face.

Tamaki looked down to where her hand rested, and to her surprise, he didn't pull away.

"You promise?" he asked vulnerably.

Haruhi only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"I'm sorry," she eventually was able to croak out, "I love you. I just think we need to get used to living together, comprising and everything… we can't exactly have a normal relationship when we have a baby, and I don't think I've adjusted to that yet…" finally, she let a sob slip.

To her surprise, Tamaki leant forward and wrapped his arms around her. She couldn't help but close her eyes and fall into his chest, inhaling his scent as she did. God, she'd missed him.

"Shh, I know" he said soothingly, stroking her hair. "I know how you feel. I still can't believe it half the time. And I know I haven't exactly been great at adjusting to a normal life."

Haruhi couldn't help but smile as she noticed he'd slipped out of his ordinary habit of using the word 'commoner' to describe her. The simple fact he'd spoken so plainly showed her how much he had truly grown.

"Don't say that, you've been great" she sniffled against him, laughing lightly. "I'm really proud of you" she added quietly, to which Tamaki simply pulled her closer against him.

"We really do need to get better at adjusting" Tamaki said with a slight chuckle a few moments later. "We've had Kotoko for nearly four whole months!"

"Oh god" Haruhi half-laughed, half-sobbed. "I can't believe it's been that long… she's already gotten so much bigger than she was! She'll be walking soon enough!" she added in a slightly panicked voice.

Tamaki chuckled. "And you think you don't act like a mum."

Haruhi joined him in laughing a few seconds later after she recounted her words.

They spent a few more silent minutes leaning on each other, relishing in the intimacy they'd missed for what felt like forever.

"Are you going to move back in?" Haruhi asked shyly, leaning her head on her boyfriends shoulder.

"Do you want me to?"

"Of course I do. I think Kyoya does as well, for that matter" she said with a laugh.

Tamaki grinned with a sarcastic eye roll. "Right. Of course I'll come back. This isn't a very practical set up, is it?" he said, to which Haruhi shook her head happily.

"No" she agreed, "I want you and Kotoko back, our little family together again."

Tamaki couldn't help but beam like an idiot, and noting his expression, Haruhi stretched up and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

"Love you" she murmured against him, smiling happily as she felt his grip on her tighten as he brought her closer to him, causing her to practically straddle his lap as he sat atop Kyoya's bed.

"Love you too" he replied before leaning forward for a second passionate kiss.

* * *

 **You guys can decide what happened in Kyoya's bed afterwards. Whatever it is, I'm sure he was pissed lmao.**

 **Again, this chapter is not proof read, so if you catch any mistakes, let me know in a review and I'll fix it ASAP! The next chapter might take a little longer to come out as we're entering the stage where I'm not sure how long the chapters will be and might have to spend some time editing and mashing them together so that you actually have a decent-length chapter! But we'll see! You can stay updated by following and contacting me on tumblr at sevendeadlyseas.**

 **As a side note, since that platform is a bit of a mess atm, if you would like to follow me on some sort of social media (way easier to contact me than through PMing, especially since I'm always on my phone so I'll probably reply in like 5s opposed to 5 business days) let me know which app you would prefer in a review! And if you don't care at all, fair enough, that's fine!**

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **There were so many long reviews for the last chapter which is amazing, I guess you guys love drama just as much as I do aha! Thank you so much for the incredible reviews, and hey, we hit 150! That's awesome, I love you all so much!**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – I had the same sort of idea, and I'm glad you weren't mad about Haruhi's little act of rebellion! I was so nervous that people wouldn't like it. I've read so many fanfictions where the girl has gotten pregnant again like 5 minutes after having the first kid so I thought it would be funny to throw that statement in there, but I promise she's not pregnant, just hungover (lightweight!) And lemme know about grammatical errors PLEASE, since I don't tend to reread my fanfictions after proofreading (when I eventually do lol) they'll just be left unnoticed for the world to see unless a reader points it out. I hope you still think they were in character here, I kinda wanted the fight to last longer but still needed to move on with the story, so I hope you understand. Thanks for the super long review, and lemme know when you publish your fic, I'd love to read it!**

 **Penstar1331 – I hope this was a satisfactory Kyoya/Tamaki interaction lol. I love how everyone just knows that he is the one who always needs to give Tamaki the kick to make him do something. Also I'm so glad you still think this is interesting! I've been writing this fic for nearly a year now and I just want them to all be happy by now lol, so thank you!**

 **Yaly.97cello – thank you so much for all your support, it really does help to read all the reviews! That way at least I know I'm making people happy with the updates, I'd hate to disappoint you all by abandoning the story so I just need a kick in the ass to make me actually write lol. I'm also happy you think Haruhi is developing well because I don't even like how I write her aha, she's very moodswingy and back and forth, but hey, she's a teenager, so I guess it's okay. As for Ranka and Tamaki's dinner… that was originally in the chapter, but I took it out for REASONS, which I promise you will find out eventually…**

 **SSTrans - glad you think so!**

 **Krys2007 – don't worry, I don't get offended! I totally understand where you're coming from, he's being a great dad and boyfriend, but there's only so much you can take with all that pressure, and Haruhi wasn't exactly being the most cooperative. I hope this chapter made up for his previous coldness.**

 **You are all awesome, please remember to review!**

 **PS - Just a little warning for the next chapter, there's a bit of a time skip so it might feel a little disorientating. It probably won't flow great from this chapter, but I'd rather do that than just give you a boring filler chapter just to fill up the time in between. I hope it's not too jarring, but just keep that in mind.**


	33. Chapter 33

"We're going to make a special birthday breakfast for mummy, okay Kotoko?" Tamaki narrated as he settled Kotoko into her high chair. "But it's a surprise, so you have to be quiet, okay princess?" As if understanding him, Kotoko smiled, almost reassuringly, at her father, not breaking eye contact with him during the exchange.

"Good girl" Tamaki said fondly, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the head.

Several months had passed since the newspaper incident, and since then the hype around Haruhi's revelation had died down, and the newspaper club president had actually been 'fired' from his role by the school staff. Tamaki was unsure whether or not his father had intervened, but at this point he didn't care either. If Yuzuru had intervened, it was most likely because of how the scandal would reflect badly on the Suoh brand, rather than his son and his family.

However, Haruhi was no longer being bothered at school, and some of the students had even given her gifts for her eighteenth birthday, though the actual day fell on a weekend, and Tamaki was thankful that he got to spoil his girlfriend on her birthday.

He quickly prepared Kotoko's normal breakfast consisting of stored breast milk and a few soft fruits and then settled into the frustrating routine of trying to feed her. Kotoko was happy to drink the milk as usual, but she had been a bit resistant to try solid foods, resulting in breakfast taking a significantly longer time than Tamaki would prefer.

"Come on, Kotoko, please eat for daddy!" Tamaki cooed as the little girl shot him a sceptical look, her mouth sealed shut.

"Please?" Tamaki tried. Kotoko simply stared. "Do it for mummy on her special day, Kotoko."

Kotoko seemed to consider it for a moment and then, slowly, she miraculously opened her mouth. As Tamaki stared at her in wonder, Kotoko shot him an annoyed look, almost as if to say 'well get on with it then!'

Tamaki happily chattered mindlessly to Kotoko as the baby stared blankly at her food, uncomprehending of her father's words.

Just as he was finishing up on Kotoko's breakfast, Ranka emerged from his bedroom, hair and pyjamas dishevelled, indicating he had just woken up.

"Good morning Ranka!" Tamaki greeted cheerfully, though still mindful enough to keep his voice down.

"Morning" Ranka replied through a yawn, clearly still half asleep.

"I'm making Haruhi breakfast in bed; would you like anything while I'm cooking?" Tamaki asked conversationally.

"No, I'm fine thanks Tamaki. Good morning Koko!" Ranka added in a far more enthusiastic voice as he bent down to retrieve his granddaughter from the high chair.

"Is Haruhi still asleep?" He asked.

"I think so. She was fast asleep when we got up at least."

While Haruhi had always been a prompt person, priding herself on rarely ever being late, Tamaki was by far more of a morning person than her.

"Oh alright, I'll wish her a happy birthday when she comes out then."

"I'm sure we won't be long," Tamaki said as he started piling food onto a plate, "I'll make sure she comes out for presents before you have to go to work today."

"Oh, I'm not going to work," Ranka said, passing Kotoko to Tamaki as he passed, "I booked the day off so I could spend the day with my birthday girl. I can't believe she's an adult now!" He added in his excited girly voice, to which Tamaki just chuckled.

Balancing Kotoko in one arm and the plate of Haruhi's breakfast in the other hand, he somehow managed to make his way back into Haruhi's bedroom where he found herself laying still fast asleep on the bed.

He set down the plate on the bedside table and gently nudged the sleeping Haruhi.

"Haruhi, wake up," he whispered, "it's your birthday!"

The brunette stirred, making a groaning noise as she simply rolled over. Tamaki struggled to hold in his exclamations of her cuteness.

"Come on, Haruhi. Kotoko wants to wish her mummy a happy birthday" he said, lowering Kotoko onto the bed. The baby looked at her father curiously for a moment before turning to see her mother. Excitement lit up her face, and before Tamaki could do anything, she swatted at Haruhi with her tiny hand.

"Kotoko! No!" Tamaki scolded, grabbing her hand while Haruhi groaned, finally awakening as a result of all the commotion.

"We don't hit people! Sorry Haruhi" he added apologetically as the teenager sat up in bed.

"Hmm?" Haruhi looked confused for a moment as she held her cheek, before spotting Kotoko. "What are you doing?" She asked in a sweet voice as she scooped Kotoko into her arms, giving the little girl a quick kiss on the head.

"We made you a birthday breakfast!" Tamaki explained happily. "Happy birthday!"

Haruhi couldn't help but grin back at his enthusiasm and adjusted Kotoko in her lap.

"Thank you" she said in a heartfelt voice. Tamaki simply smiled back at her as he handed her the plate of food.

Haruhi moved over so that her boyfriend could sit in bed with her, and put Kotoko in his lap, to which she protested, while Haruhi ate.

She was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, considering it had been cooked entirely by Tamaki, and commended him on his efforts.

"You've really improved in the kitchen since you've been living here, that was great! Thank you."

Tamaki blushed. "It was no trouble at all! I was happy to make something special for the beautiful birthday girl! And Kotoko helped, right Kotoko?"

Haruhi turned to smile at the little girl, who quickly reached out for her mother.

"Thank you so much Kotoko!" she said as she reached out to take the baby, "did you have fun making mummy breakfast?"

"Mum...my"

Haruhi gaped at the gurgling words and looked up to lock eyes with Tamaki.

"Did she-"

"Kotoko! You just spoke!" Tamaki exclaimed in excitement.

The girl looked around, confused at the sudden praise.

"Can you say it again? Say 'mummy'!" Haruhi said, bouncing the child in her lap. "Come on!"

"Mummy" Kotoko said again, looking up at Haruhi.

"Kotoko!" Tamaki sounded beyond giddy. "You're such a clever girl! Mon Dieu!"

"Well done baby!" Haruhi said happily, pulling the little girl into a tight hug, to which she only protested a little.

Without warning, the bedroom door suddenly flew open and Ranka entered with a baseball bat in hand.

"What's happening?" he exclaimed, "I heard shouting!"

Completely unfazed by her father's overreaction, Haruhi simply held out Kotoko like a prize. "Kotoko said her first word!"

Dropping the bat and immediately discarding his threatening mannerisms, Ranka gasped and moved forward to join the three on the now cramped bed.

"Really? What did she say?" He asked eagerly.

"Kotoko, can you speak for mummy?" Haruhi said, looking down at Kotoko again.

Seemingly happy about all the attention she was receiving, Kotoko happily repeated her first word. "Mummy!"

Ranka gasped and let out a girl shriek of excitement, to which Kotoko giggled rather than cried about.

"Oh my gosh! She's getting so big!" Ranka sobbed.

"I know" Tamaki agreed, sympathising with his girlfriend's father.

"It feels like just yesterday you said your first word, Haruhi... And now you're eighteen!" Ranka broke into a fresh bout of tears and forced his daughter into a tight hug.

"What was Haruhi's first word?" Tamaki asked in curiosity.

"'yes please'" Ranka sobbed.

Tamaki chuckled. "Of course you've always been so polite. So practical."

Haruhi glared at him over her father's shoulder. "Well what was yours?"

Tamaki thought for a moment. "I believe it was 'jouet'"

Haruhi cocked her head in confusion.

"It means 'toy'" Tamaki explained.

"Oh. Of course," she joked. Despite his European appearance, she often forgot that Japanese wasn't his first language due to his perfect fluency. Obviously his first words would have been in French.

"Oooh and soon she'll be walking and saying full sentences and reading and writing!" Ranka was still blabbering on while clutching his daughter. "Time passes so quickly, cherish it!"

Tamaki couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his girlfriend limply lean on her doting father, unwilling to hug him back or force him off. It was almost like looking into the future; he aimed to be as wonderful a father to Kotoko as Ranka was to Haruhi.

He wondered who Kotoko would resemble more, in personality rather than appearance (she was already Haruhi's blonde doppelgänger). Parts of her personality already shone through, as they knew that she was picky but indulging, and loved attention. However, she was less over the top than Tamaki, taking on Haruhi's calm mannerisms, and, based on the timing of her first words, very intelligent.

He was taken out of his musings by Ranka, who was happily telling Haruhi about his plans for the day.

"We have to celebrate such a momentous moment in both your and Kotoko's lives! That's it, I'm taking you out for lunch today!"

"Uh, I kinda already agreed to go out with the other guys for dinner tonight..." Haruhi said awkwardly, not wanting to come off as ungrateful.

Ranka was unfazed. "That's fine, they can join us for lunch! Oh, this is going to be so fun!"

He began rambling on before leaving the room to make reservations.

Haruhi turned to Tamaki with a slight smile on her face.

"I can't believe she said her first word!" she said in astonishment, to which Tamaki grinned at.

"I know... me either."

She really was growing fast.

* * *

Haruhi didn't know how her father had managed to get a reservation for nine people at a fancy restaurant on such short notice, but decided not to question it.

The place was somehow both fancy and cosy, making her feel much more at ease than she did at any establishment the host club would normally frequent. Thankfully that meant that there was also very little chance of running into anyone from school at such a place.

"Happy birthday Haruhi-chan!" Honey greeted her as she, Ranka, Tamaki and Kotoko found their way to the table.

"Hey guys."

The group responded with an enthusiastic chant of "happy birthday!"

After the complaints about causing a ruckus, Haruhi found a seat between Tamaki and Kaoru and quickly began scanning the menus.

"This place actually has some decent meals" Hikaru commented insensitively.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Haruhi asked, offended for her father, who was mindlessly digging into the complimentary bread rolls.

"That your father has good taste, of course!" Kaoru interjected, covering for his oblivious twin.

While Haruhi bickered with the brothers, Tamaki took the opportunity to search the restaurant for a high chair so that he wouldn't have to feed Kotoko on his lap the whole night.

After quickly locating some staff to help him, Tamaki returned to the party.

"Sorry, excuse me" he said as he passed a table of middle-aged women.

"Aw, such a sweet baby!" one of the women commented.

Tamaki couldn't help but beam in pride as he returned to the table.

"Have we all ordered yet?" he asked conversationally.

"Yeah, I got yours" Haruhi replied. "Hi, Kotoko! Come here" she took the baby from Tamaki and settled her into the high chair the staff had brought along.

"There we go" she planted a quick kiss on Kotoko's head.

"Mummy!"

Haruhi couldn't help but grin as the rest of the host club stared in surprise.

"Did she just talk?" The twins exclaimed in unison, equally as ecstatic.

"Koko-chan is growing up so fast!" Honey exclaimed happily, Mori nodding along silently.

"I must admit, I'm surprised that Tamaki's child is such a quick developer. It's unusual for a 6 month old to say their first words already." Kyoya said.

"I know, she's so clever!" Tamaki exclaimed, completely missing the insult.

In the midst of the host club celebrating, Tamaki couldn't help but overhear the comments from the women sitting behind them.

"That's _her_ child?" one of them said, sounding entirely disgusted.

"I thought that boy was babysitting his sister or something, but I suppose it's his."

"Humph. It could be any one of those boys."

Tamaki felt his blood boil as he listened to the women blaspheme his girlfriend and daughter, but tried his best to ignore them.

"It's such a shame," the first woman continued, "she's such a sweet little girl, but with a mother like that for a role model, she'll probably have her own kids in a few years!"

Tamaki glanced over at Kotoko, who was happily playing with the mushy food on her high chair and felt the resentment brewing within him. How dare those women assume such things about his sweet, innocent daughter.

"Ugh, kids these days don't have any values. I wonder if even _she_ knows which one of those boys is the father" one of the women snipped.

Finally snapping, Tamaki turned in his chair and shot the women his fakest host smile and kindly said "excuse me, my friends and I are trying to enjoy our meal. Would you mind lowering your voices?"

Half expecting a confrontation, Tamaki was pleased to see that the women simply turned pink and began ignoring him.

Turning back to his table, he noted that the other hosts were confused, but when he looked at Haruhi he saw that she was smiling at him gratefully, showing that she had heard them too. Feeling awful for not telling them off earlier, he simply moved to hold hands with her underneath the table.

* * *

Thankfully the rest of the meal went smoothly, and Ranka decided to 'meet up with a couple of friends for drinks afterwards' – which Haruhi knew was just a cover up for him to let her and Tamaki spend some time together.

By the time they arrived home, Kotoko was fast asleep in Haruhi's arms and the two parents felt just as tired after the eventful day.

As Haruhi worked on redressing Kotoko into pyjamas while simultaneously trying not to wake her up, Tamaki was also changing and climbing into bed.

"Nice of you to help me" Haruhi commented lightly as she zipped up Kotoko's onesie and carried her to the edge of the bed where her crib was.

"Well I'd be more than happy to help undress you" Tamaki joked in a sultry voice, which Haruhi cringed at.

"Your daughter is right there!"

"Well your dads not home, we can always take things into the bathroom – or maybe even the living room or kitchen? It is your birthday after all" he added with a wink as Haruhi rolled her eyes while climbing into bed, now also redressed.

"Ew, Tamaki! This is my childhood home, my fathers house. No sex outside this room, or in front of the baby" Haruhi added quickly, remembering Kotoko's close proximity.

Tamaki frowned. "About that…" he reached out to Haruhi under the covers, wrapping an arm around her and forcing her to face him completely. "I was thinking… you're right, we have to respect your father in his home, but it's also not a very practical situation anymore – especially since Kotoko is growing so quickly."

Haruhi cocked an eyebrow, confused. "What are you saying?"

"Well… I'm just thinking Kotoko will need her own bedroom at some point, and we can't keep sneaking around your father's house so… what do you think about us moving out?"

His revelation took Haruhi completely by surprise, and all she could do was look at him in astonishment.

"Tamaki, it wasn't that long ago that you moved out because of this situation we weren't given enough time to adapt to… how is moving a good idea right now?"

"But it is!" Tamaki protested, sitting up in the bed. "We need more space. Away from your dad, and with more room for each other as well, and a separate bedroom for Kotoko. It's not a lot, but I do have some money saved up from working with Misuzu, and it is enough for us to rent a house or an apartment."

Haruhi frowned. "I don't know Tamaki…"

"Haruhi, you can't honestly tell me that this isn't something we need. I know that ideally you'd want to wait until university, but I think this," he gestured to the crib where Kotoko was sleeping peacefully, "is a special circumstance. You can't want to wait until Kotoko is, what, five, to move out. There isn't even room for another bed here, so we're in a race against time to when she grows out of the crib – unless you want her to share the bed with us."

Haruhi glanced over at the crib and back to Tamaki before sighing.

"I… see your point. Maybe it is time for us to find our own place to live" she conceded.

Tamaki beamed brightly before bending down to give his girlfriend a bone crushing hug.

"Tamaki!" she protested weakly, unable to be truly mad about his excitement.

After all, Haruhi couldn't help but feel a little excited herself. For the first time since she actually _had_ the baby, it felt like they were making progress in their life. After all, she couldn't dispute the fact that having their own home would undoubtedly make lives far easier.

* * *

 **FUN FACT, I wrote this chapter entirely on my phone at 2am sooo I'm sorry if the quality is down, but it was actually way easier to write than it is on a laptop for some reason?**

 **Anyway, sorry for skipping the Christmas chapter you were all probably expecting (especially since it's the holiday season), but I struggle to write those fluffy fillers and I figured you'd probably prefer plot development and first words cuteness!**

 **Oh, and if anyone speaks French, feel free to correct whatever mistakes there are, as I don't speak any French and just used google translate (whoops!)**

 **~ Responding to reviews ~**

 **SSTrans – thanks for the kind review as always! I hope you liked this chapter as well, and idk what you're talking about with Kyoya's bed**

 **PrimroseEverdeen432 – always check the update status girl, I do the same thing to make sure it's not abandoned aha. I usually update once a week, but I've lost track of what day it is recently so it's a bit of a guess for you guys atm, sorry lol. I hope you liked this chapter!**

 **Krys2007 – that sounds like something Kyoya would do, although how would he find out lmao** **and yup, my notes for this chapter at the end was literally just 'they talk then kiss and make up etc' so I'm glad that came across well lol. And yes, I love writing Kyoya with kids, he tries so hard to be cold, but he just can't when it's his friends cute baby!**


	34. Chapter 34

"Daddy... Daddy"

It was the soft, bubbly voice of his daughter that finally lulled Tamaki out of his slumber, and he blinked several times before looking up to see his girlfriend and daughter hovering above him.

"Morning..." He yawned.

"Dad-eeee" Kotoko gurgled happily.

In the past couple of months after saying her first word, Kotoko's vocabulary had expanded slowly, now extending to include 'daddy' and a cutely accented 'g'andad'. Tamaki was also highly invested in teaching her about her 'grand-mère', often showing her pictures of Anne-Sophie and repeating the word. Kotoko had also figured out who her uncle 'Ko-wa' was in a short amount of time, leading the rest of the host club to feel great resentment towards the shadow King, especially since he was the least invested in Kotoko.

"Good morning" Haruhi greeted, bending down for a quick kiss in a rare show of affection.

"Mm, morning. Why don't I get to wake up like that everyday?" He teased, causing Haruhi to flush lightly.

"Daddy!" Kotoko repeated, sounding almost annoyed, as if demanding attention.

Tamaki quickly obliged, hugging the infant quickly. "Bonjour chéri!" [good morning darling]

Kotoko lapped up the attention, snuggling into her father's chest as she accepted all his unnecessary compliments and praise.

"Do you think that will confuse her?" Haruhi asked worriedly as she watched the two bond.

"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked, confused.

"The French. Will she be able to differentiate between Japanese and French so soon?"

Tamaki shrugged. "I did. The difficult part was the reading and writing because you have to learn it all twice" he frowned, remembering all of his early Japanese lessons after growing up reading and writing with the Latin alphabet.

"Oh." Haruhi perked up. "Well, we made you breakfast in bed! Happy birthday!"

Tamaki blinked, confused after having almost completely forgotten about his birthday. He was twenty.

"I'm old!" He suddenly wailed, turning away from Haruhi and attempting to burying himself under the covers. "An official adult!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes, far too used to her boyfriend's ridiculous antics to be surprised by this behaviour. By the same token, Kotoko was also unbothered.

"Don't be stupid," she said bluntly, "nothing's changed since yesterday."

As Tamaki continued to sob, Kotoko quietly started eating the bits of food she recognised off his plate while Haruhi watched in amusement.

"Are you done?" she asked sarcastically as the sniffling died down. "There's a little bit of breakfast still left if you'd like it."

Tamaki turned back around and obliged, happily eating the meal his girlfriend had so lovingly prepared.

"Of course, my love! Thank you so much!"

Again, Haruhi simply rolled her eyes at his eccentricity.

"Can you believe how big she's gotten?" she said instead, referring to Kotoko's newfound ability to steal food.

"I know!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, fat tears threatening to spill out of his eyes as he watched the toddler. "Time is going by far too quickly! Oh god, she's going to have her first birthday this year!"

"Well... yeah, that's how years' work" Haruhi couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculousness, though she knew exactly how he felt. She loved Kotoko more than anything, and she _had_ grown so much since August.

"So," Tamaki said, drawing Haruhi out of her thoughts, "any plans for the day?"

He posed the question casually, though Haruhi knew he was excited to see what she had planned for the big day; and for once she thought she would deliver.

"We are going to the beach!" she announced happily.

"The beach?"

"Yes. It's finally warming up, and it'll be Kotoko's first time seeing the sea!"

At this, Tamaki brightened up considerably, always excited about new experiences, especially when it came to Kotoko.

"We can take her swimming in the ocean!"

Haruhi gaped at her overenthusiastic boyfriend. "We can put her _in_ the water," she suggested, "she can't even walk yet!"

Tamaki didn't seem to hear her, and simply picked up Kotoko while rambling on about how pretty she would look in a little swimsuit.

Haruhi couldn't help but smile at his hypocrisy.

"Funny, I seem to remember when I was your 'daughter' you didn't want me in a swimsuit at all!"

Tamaki flushed in shame and shot Haruhi a look of disgust.

"I would never dress our daughter in something so scandalous!"

Haruhi shrugged, amused by his antics as she had never thought that the swimsuit that she had worn that day at the pool could be classified as 'scandalous'.

"Whatever. Do you want to go to the beach or not?"

Tamaki's face lit up.

"Yes please!"

* * *

"Kotoko, no – Ko, stop!"

Ever the useful boyfriend, Tamaki simply chuckled as he watched Haruhi basically wrestle with the tiny toddler. Thinking it was a game, Kotoko simply laughed and tossed another handful of sand towards her mother.

Haruhi spluttered as some caught in her mouth, leaving Tamaki to reach out and pluck Kotoko off the ground.

"I think that's enough 'discovery' for you today ma petite princesse" [my little princess] he chastised. Seeming to realise she was in trouble, Kotoko began to whine wordlessly, to which Tamaki just laughed at the cuteness of.

"Thanks Tamaki" Haruhi said, half sarcastically.

"What?"

Haruhi sighed, deciding to just ignore him.

"Maybe we ought to introduce her to the water instead of the sand" she suggested, despite her previous reservations about Tamaki trying to teach the baby how to swim.

Tamaki's face lit up. "Yes! Come on Kotoko, let's go swimming!"

Haruhi couldn't help but giggle as Tamaki happily picked up Kotoko and led her towards the sea.

"Don't let her fall!" she called out as the two approached the shoreline and Tamaki set Kotoko down.

Tamaki didn't seem to hear her, or if he did, he ignored her, as he immediately tried to get Kotoko to stand in the sand where she waves hit.

"What are you doing?" Haruhi said accusingly as she rushed forward to join their side.

"I wanted to ease her in slowly" Tamaki said in an innocent tone, turning his puppy eyes to her. "I've been teaching her to walk at home" he added justifiably.

"Okay…" Haruhi said cautiously.

While her parents squabbled, Kotoko was happily exploring the ocean, digging her fingers into the wet sand and relishing in the new feeling.

"Up you get" Tamaki said, interrupting Kotoko's fun and pulling her up to her feet, supporting her midsection.

Kotoko looked up in confusion, one hand still full of wet sand.

Haruhi chuckled. "I don't think there's any way to get her away from the sand."

Tamaki and Haruhi led the toddler into the water, slowly but steadily, playing with for her a little bit before moving on to wade further out to the ocean until the water hit Haruhi's chest, Kotoko resting safely in her arms.

"Is she asleep?" Tamaki asked disbelievingly.

"Hmm, she doesn't seem too impressed by the water" Haruhi noted.

"Big fan of the sand though!" Tamaki quipped, earning him a light slap on the chest.

After a good half an hour, the two decided that it was probably for the best that they head back to the shore.

Haruhi began unpacking the lunch they had brought from home and Tamaki set down the towels to lay on as Kotoko began to stir.

She watched her parents for a while before getting bored and looking around.

Everyone else on the beach was running around, having fun, or wading in the water.

Kotoko wanted to be in the water!

Scanning the area, the little girl looked around, determined to join the other people on the beach.

She sat herself up and looked around for something to balance on. The only thing nearby was a toy bucket some other family had left around, and so she crawled towards that.

Tamaki glanced over to check that she was alright before returning to his task, so Kotoko figured it must be okay.

She reached out for the bucket and, using all of her strength, pulled herself up to stand upright.

Proud of herself, Kotoko stood still for a few seconds, relishing in her accomplishment until she heard her mother's shrill yell from somewhere ahead of her.

Jumping, Kotoko fell back onto her backside and simply stared up at her mother, wondering what she had done wrong.

"Tamaki, Tamaki, Kotoko just stood up!"

"What?"

Tamaki rushed forward and Kotoko raised her arms, used to her father being the good cop. Tamaki did pick her up, but only briefly before placing her back down on her feet, just like earlier that day.

Kotoko blinked, confused.

"Go on, Kotoko!" Haruhi encouraged, crouching down a few paces ahead of the two. "Come to mummy!"

With permission, Kotoko seemed to understand and slowly made a step forward.

Then another.

And another.

Until she eventually stumbled along the loose sand and fell forward, thankfully into her mother's outstretched arms.

Tamaki and Haruhi were ecstatic, immediately cheering their daughter up as she managed to sit herself back up.

"Kotoko, you walked!" Haruhi exclaimed giddily.

"Ah, je suis tellement fier de toi chérie!" [I'm so proud of you darling!] Tamaki added, continuing to pile on compliments in rapid French as Haruhi showered their daughter in affection.

"I didn't know it was possible to feel this proud!" Haruhi admitted as they finally calmed down enough to actually sit and have their postponed lunch.

Tamaki beamed. "I'm not surprised! Kotoko is amazing, of course I'm proud of her!"

"You're such a doting father."

Tamaki simply shrugged. "What's not to dote on? She's incredible. And," he added, a cheeky glint in his eye as he turned to face his girlfriend, "now that she can walk, we know she can be an amazing flower girl or even bridesmaid at our wedding!"

Haruhi chuckled. "Try not to get too ahead of yourself."

"Hmm, not too far" Tamaki agreed, content for now to simply watch his girlfriend and daughter play.

* * *

 _Flashback *set in chapter 29*_

"Thank you for inviting me out, Ranka. You really didn't have to" Tamaki said nervously as he watched his girlfriends father scan the restaurant menu.

"It's no trouble" Ranka assured him tonelessly, not looking up from his menu. "After all, anything to help the man who impregnated my daughter."

Tamaki inwardly cringed.

"So ah… you're still mad at me for that?"

This time Ranka did look up to shoot him a look that clearly said 'you're an idiot'.

"Look Tamaki, I know you're a good person, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you… did what you did."

Tamaki nodded, hanging his head in shame.

"I… do understand you, Ranka-san. To an extent. I love Kotoko, and I don't want her to go through what we did. I don't think there's a person out there good enough to call themselves her partner, but I do want her to be happy. And… I think I make Haruhi happy. At least most of the time" he added, earning him another glare from Ranka.

There was another beat of silence before Ranka sighed and placed his menu down.

"Do you know why I invited you into my home, Tamaki?"

"Uhhh, no." It came out more like a question.

Ranka eyed the teenager before sighing.

"It pains me to say it, but I do see a lot of myself in you. I was only twenty when Haruhi was born, and Kotoko and I weren't married when she got pregnant. She was an accident. I look at you and see an idiot, but you're only a couple of years younger than I was – the only difference is that you're the older one. Haruhi is a child."

"She's not-" Tamaki tried to protest before Ranka cut him off.

"A part of me wanted you to fail. To be disowned, for Haruhi to break up with you. Let me be clear; I don't think you're good enough for my daughter. But," Tamaki looked up, "I know you know that. I can see the same love I have for Haruhi in you for Kotoko. You're a good father, and I can't begrudge you that, even if it's at the expense of my daughter."

"Uhh… thanks. I really am trying my best, and I know I love Haruhi and Kotoko. And," Tamaki added, trying not to sweat, "I would like to make that official. In the future. So, I guess now is as good a time as ever to… ask you for permission to marry your daughter."

* * *

 **AN – Even though we're nearly a month into the year, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and aren't too mad at me for not posting in forever! No life updates, but I got into uni, so my goal is to just get the last couple of chapters out before I start in March, so be on the watch for new chapters!**

 ***Correct me if I'm wrong, but from my understanding the Latin alphabet is the one most western and European countries use, aka English, French and Spanish opposed to Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Arabic/Russian etc.**

* * *

 **~ responding to reviews ~**

 **16** **th** **-of-a-twigg – that's why you don't edit at 2am lol, but thanks for pointing out that mistake, it's been fixed now! I wanted to include as many firsts as possible, she's so cute!**

 **Krys2007 – Tamaki is such a sweet protective boyfriend, I wanted a savage moment with some judgy people lol. As for your question, he was kicked out of the mansion when he got back from America and is living with Ranka and Haruhi atm but they want their own place. He was living with Kyoya for a little bit, but I'm pretty sure I haven't written him living in the 2** **nd** **mansion at all :/ anyways, I hope you liked this chapter!**


	35. Chapter 35

**So... Hi!**

 **First of all, as a fellow avid reader who despairs over abandoned fics, I would like to sincerely apologise for not updating in... 6 months? (Holy shit I'm really sorry!)**

 **I don't have much of an excuse, I haven't been writing for a while and I miss it so much, but my mental health and therefore inspiration kinda went to shit and I pretty much forgot all about this fic. I really want to get back into writing, and since I only have like 2 chapters left of this story I decided I really didn't want to leave it unfinished, so I'm going to do my best to get those last parts out ASAP, but I can't make any promises of regular updates atm, just not in the right headspace. I'm sorry for disappointing you and hope you can enjoy the non-open-endingness.**

* * *

Sleep. Eat. Study. Repeat.

Sleep. Feed and change the baby. Eat. Study. Repeat.

Sleep. Feed and change the baby. Distract/entertain the baby. Study. Eat. Repeat.

Sleep. Feed and change the baby. Distract/entertain the baby. Study. Repeat.

Study. Feed and change the baby. Distract/entertain the baby. Study. Repeat.

Study. Get Tamaki. Study. Repeat.

Study, study, study…

"Haruhi, I'm worried about you."

A bleary-eyed Haruhi looked up.

Tamaki was eyeing her down with a concerned look, but his arms crossed to indicate that he wasn't going to just let this incident go.

"When's the last time you ate?"

"I… huh?"

Impatiently, he repeated himself.

Haruhi blinked. "This morning." She was sure she did. Didn't she?

"It's seven am" Tamaki deadpanned.

"O-oh" Haruhi looked around slowly, only just realising that it was in fact dawn rather than dusk. "I, um," she sighed, "I had a lot of coffee last night, I guess I didn't realise."

Tamaki frowned. "So will you take a break now? You've literally been studying all night and you need to at least eat if you won't sleep. In fact why don't you take the day off school, you're probably ahead of the class by now-"

"Don't be ridiculous," she waved him off, "I have my final exams in two weeks. Two weeks! I can't afford to take a break" she said with an air of finality, which Tamaki promptly shattered by slamming him hand down on her books and sliding them across the table.

"No. It's not healthy what you're doing to yourself. You're practically guaranteed an offer from Ouran university, so there's no need to work yourself to death. You don't want Kotoko's early memories to be of you stressing until your hair falls out, do you?"

Haruhi simply glared at her boyfriend, stewing over him pulling the Kotoko card. However, she relented and allowed him to make her breakfast (cooking being something he was quickly excelling at, to her surprise).

"Ok, will you at least quiz me?"

Tamaki sighed, but agreed to the compromise. "Fine. Ummm" he glanced down at her meticulously annotated notes. "Who was the first Japanese Prime Minister?"

Haruhi blinked. "Um-"

"See!" Tamaki interjected quickly, "you're sleep deprived and hungry! Not good for the brain!"

Haruhi just rolled her eyes and made a quick note to study up further on Japanese history, seeing as Tamaki clearly didn't intend on being helpful at all today. Though she had to admit, the stress had been getting to her recently.

As she tapped her pen against the paper impatiently, Haruhi felt a small tug at her pants leg. Looking down, she smiled to see her own brown eyes staring up at her inquisitively.

"Kotoko, what are you doing up?" She tutted. "You're supposed to be taking a nap."

Kotoko shook her head. "Mummy up!" She demanded, holding her arms expectantly.

Haruhi shook her head. "I'm sorry Kotoko, mummy needs to study... Come on, go back to bed"

The blonde toddler shook her head and raised her arms again. Haruhi sighed.

"Ok, do you want to play with the toys daddy bought you? They're in the basket" she pointed to the basket in the corner of the room dedicated to Kotoko's many toys and plushies that had quickly begun to overwhelm her and Tamaki's bedroom.

Kotoko glanced over briefly, but only held her mother tighter and burying her face in her leg.

"Mumum... Love you..."

Haruhi bit her lip. Kotoko was such a smart little girl, and she was so proud at the rate she was learning, but also acknowledged how cute it was that she'd picked up what 'I love you' meant from the sheer amount of times it was said in their household.

"Oh, Ko" Haruhi gave in and swept Kotoko off her feet and into her arms, setting her on her lap and hugging her tight. "I love you too"

Now happy, Kotoko leant in to her mother's chest for comfort and begun babbling happily.

Haruhi smiled and started stroking Kotoko's hair gently. Maybe a quick break wasn't a bad idea.

Kotoko had been growing up fast, something Haruhi had almost cried over at her first birthday party a couple of weeks ago. She couldn't believe how much her daughter had grown in what felt like such a short amount of time, and while she had promised herself to make more of an effort to spend more time with her daughter, the upcoming exams had pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, much to Haruhi's shame.

"My sweet little girl, we did such a good job on her, didn't we Tamaki?"

Tamaki simply smiled at the adorable scene of his girlfriend and daughter cuddling as he set down two plates of breakfast on the table.

"I don't know how we could've done any better!" he said softly, also quietly wondering if Haruhi was open to the idea of having any other children – not that he was in a rush at all either.

Haruhi simply made a noise of agreement and propped Kotoko on her hip as she began to eat.

"So," Tamaki said, after a beat of silence – something rare in their home – "would you like to take a look at another apartment this week?"

Haruhi groaned.

Tamaki couldn't blame her.

The two had been apartment hunting throughout Toyo for their little family over the past few weeks, and while there had been plenty that they liked, Tamaki was still struggling to stick to their budget, and Haruhi was adamant about staying close to her father and Ouran, so they had remained in the Fujioka's seemingly shrinking apartment.

"I know… but what do you think of this one?" he slid an apartment ad in the newspaper towards her, "it's a little closer to the city than here, but that will be good for university and public transport, and it's even within walking distance of a couple of good day cares and elementary schools."

As he spoke, Haruhi took the paper and flicked through the pages, inspecting the quaint-looking apartment. It was nothing spectacular (and Haruhi was honestly quite surprised that Tamaki had been able to restrain himself from poring over the more luxurious houses they'd come across), but it certainly wasn't run-down, and certainly a viable option for their first home.

When she met Tamaki's eyes, he was watching her nervously.

"What do you think?"

"I like it" she replied softly. "Are there any viewings coming up?"

Relieved, Tamaki's face broke into a giddy smile. "Yeah, there's one tomorrow actually. I was thinking we could have a look around in person and then speak to the landlord if we like it."

Haruhi nodded. "Sounds like a plan!"

Despite everything happening so quickly, Haruhi couldn't help but feel content. She had become accustomed to being forced to adjust quickly, and she so far nothing awful had come out of it – in fact, it would be quite a blessing if they returned the next day with their own place to call home.

* * *

The apartment was nothing like what Tamaki had imagined his first house would look like. For starters it wasn't a house, or his really, since they would be renting.

Then there was the more obvious physical differences, as the small apartment looked nothing like any property the Suoh family owned. It was hardly flashy, with Tamaki's typical marble floors switched out for creaky hardwood, and decorate wallpaper replaced with bland, slightly cracked off-white walls.

Instead of a penthouse loft with a minimum of five bedrooms and two bathrooms, there was one dingy little bathroom with leaky taps, one 'master bedroom' with barely enough room to fit a double bed, and a small office that could pass for a nursery. Thankfully the kitchen, dining, and living area were open-plan and could fit the rest of the furniture.

While both Tamaki and Haruhi recognised that it was nothing spectacular, it was certainly good value for money. Of course, with Tamaki's positive thinking, he assured Haruhi that most of the apartments needs were purely cosmetic, and that they could decorate however they liked (within the owners rules, Haruhi quickly reminded him, though with a smile).

"So," the realtor showing the couple around the apartment said, turning from the bay windows to acknowledge the two, "what are you thinking? The rent is 30,000 yen **(about $300 USD)** a week, and you'll also be responsible for bills such as electricity, water, etc. The owner is a very kind, negotiable man so if you have any qualms, I'm sure we'll be able to sort something out" she added with a smile.

Haruhi glanced at Tamaki.

"No, I think we're good" she said happily as he nodded. "How soon will it be available?"

Somewhat taken aback, the realtor fumbled with her papers as she looked for a date.

"Well, the current tenant has a week left on their lease, so you should be okay to move in in a couple of weeks!"

"Perfect."

* * *

They said that moving was one of the most stressful things you could go through in life.

Haruhi would rather give birth again.

With no time to celebrate the end of her exams, she went from one stress from the next, immediately taking of the hassle of moving all of their belongings from Ranka's apartment to the new one before purchasing brand new furniture to fill up the rest of the home. Haruhi found the whole process unnecessarily difficult and not helped at all but her too eager to please boyfriend ("Haruhi where do you want this?" "are you sure Kotoko should have her own room, what if she gets lonely?" "okay, but consider this: we put the fridge in the bedroom")

Thankfully, they were able to persevere with their relationship still intact, and they were simply relieved that the whole process was over.

"Oh thank god that's everything!" Haruhi exclaimed as she flung herself onto the couch. "We have a house!" she mock-cheered, the tiredness clearly evident in her voice.

Tamaki couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous sight before joining his girlfriend with their daughter on the couch.

"Apartment" he corrected gently.

"A home" Haruhi replied happily, throwing her legs over his lap. "Has Mori senpai called you yet?"

Tamaki nodded. "He texted me an hour ago, but I didn't want to leave you until we were finished. I can't wait to get Antoinette back!"

Haruhi smiled as she watched Tamaki brighten up.

They had been so lucky to find out that their new building just so happened to be pet-friendly, so Tamaki would be able to get his beloved golden retriever back, having put her in Mori senpai's capable care when he'd had to move out of the mansion and into the Fujioka's.

"Perhaps she can sleep with Kotoko so neither of them gets lonely!"

"Maybe" Haruhi yawned. "You don't mind if I stay here while you pick her up? I think Ko and I are both in need of a nap."

"No problem. Would you like me to carry you to bed too?" he joked as he stood up with the tired baby in his arms.

Haruhi chuckled. "No need. I think I'll sleep right here!" she declared.

Smiling, Tamaki left the room to put Kotoko in her very own bedroom for the first time, and sure enough, when he returned he found his girlfriend passed out on the sofa and was therefore obligated to indeed carry her to bed as well.

It was the small things that made him appreciate his little family the most.

* * *

 **I'm sorry if this seemed really short and more like just tying up loose ends than anything else and I know it could've been done more organically, but you guys deserve answers without having to reread the whole fic. In the past couple of chapters everything was winding down to pretty much just fillers which I was doing to not have to do a ~time skip~ but idk maybe I'll do some editing in the future. I hope this satiated your curiosity for now. The next and last chapter will be out soon, hopefully (not in 6 months!) but I now work weekends (yay, money!) so I can't give you a day to expect ATM. Maybe reread the first chapter in the meantime**

 **Thank you all for your continued support, you're all fantastic, please comment anything you want answers about because I'm sure I've forgotten something and I'll answer that next time**


	36. Chapter 36

Hours upon hours of studying, an arduous entrance exam, repeated tests, assignments and exhausting group projects with the twins over the course of the past three years, it had all lead up to this moment. And Haruhi couldn't be prouder if her mother was there to watch her collect her diploma.

Currently wedged between the twins in a line of other third years awaiting their name to be called, Haruhi scanned the crowd, unable to wipe the satisfied look off her face as she saw the gaggle of friends and family sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowd as they proudly watched on.

There had been a point, about a year ago where she wasn't sure if this moment was ever going to come, and had regrettably resented her unborn child for that a little, but all these months later and Haruhi considered raising her baby an addition to her long list of accomplishments, rather than a strike on her record. If she could get through a teenage pregnancy and still graduate with honours, she could do anything.

" _Ma!"_

 _Hearing a child's cry, Haruhi turned and waved as she saw the already graduated members of the host club finding their seats. The men took notice, and Tamaki waved back enthusiastically, pride on his face as he encouraged their child to do the same._

" _Wave at mummy, mon chéri!"_

Haruhi couldn't help but grin as she saw Kotoko wave her tiny pudgy hands in excitement and returned the gesture to her daughter and friends.

As if on cue, the charirman's voice came booming out of the microphone and Haruhi jumped a little as she heard her name being called.

" _Fujioka Haruhi!"_

 _Haruhi peeled her eyes away from the bundle in her boyfriend's arms and walked up on to the stage towards the chairman, who was handing out the diplomas._

 _To her embarrassment, she could hear her friends and father applauding and cheering her name as she went, and tried to ignore the urge to look down at her metaphorical and literal family. To think that just a year ago she never would've thought the two would morph - at least not so soon._

" _Congratulations, my dear" Haruhi smiled as she proudly shook hands with her child's grandfather. "Thank you for all you've done at Ouran, and everything you've contributed to my son's life" he added in a lower voice. Haruhi blushed, but thanked him and moved on to stand next to the other graduates._

" _Hitachiin Hikaru"_

 _Haruhi clapped and cheered with the rest of the Host Club when her friend received his certificate and leaned over when he came to stand next to her. "Congratulations, Kaoru." The redheaded boy grinned mischievously at her before turning to watch his twin receive_ his _diploma._

" _Hitachiin Kaoru"_

 _When Hikaru joined them, Haruhi rolled her eyes at them to let him know she knew what they'd done and stood for the rest of the ceremony waiting for their classmates to graduate with them._

 _A half hour later, the graduation ceremony had finally finished and Haruhi was glad for it, having quickly grown tired of standing silently. The chairman finished his closing speech and dismissed the graduating students, which led to an eruption of applause from the proud friends and families of the graduates._

" _Thank god that's over" Hikaru murmured behind Haruhi as they descended from the stage with their fellow now -ex-students._

" _I suppose we should go find the club" Kaoru suggested._

" _I saw them over by the other side of the stage earlier" Haruhi said, pointing in the direction of the elder members of the original Host Club, ignoring the twins snarky "it's rude to point" comment._

 _The room was awfully crowded, so the twins and Haruhi had to fight to get out of the sea of students together, causing them to take ten minutes to walk halfway across the room - though being Ouran High School, the room was ridiculously large anyway._

" _Haruhi!"_

" _Oof!" Haruhi belatedly braced herself as she was hit by her father's flying body._

" _Daddy is so proud! Oh I can't believe my little girl is all grown up and done with high school!" Ranka began to cry as the Host Club exchanged doubtful looks with each other._

" _Ah, I thought she was already pretty grown up, based on your additional family member."_

 _Haruhi shot what was supposed to be a dark look at the twins, but was somewhat thwarted by the furious blush across her face. However, it seemed that Ranka's glare was enough to make the twins cower._

 _To his credit, Ranka recovered from his fury quickly and instead let go of his daughter to snatch the baby in Tamaki's arms away from him instead._

" _Don't worry my beloved grandbaby! I won't let those idiots use you against me! Look!" Ranka held up Kotoko to look at Haruhi who smiled gently at her child._

" _Mummy!" she gurgled, reaching out for her mother._

" _Are you proud of your mummy?" Ranka cooed._

" _Yes!"_

 _Haruhi smiled and reached out to take the baby._

" _Thank you, darling" she said, before turning her attention back to the Host Club._

" _We're all very proud of you, Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru! In fact, the Host Club has organised an exclusive event just for the graduates to celebrate the finale of their high school years!" Tamaki announced happily._

 _Haruhi groaned. "Seriously, Tamaki senpai? I thought our host responsibilities were over!"_

" _You're seriously still calling him senpai?" one of the twins asked in an undertone, which Haruhi ignored._

" _My lovely Haruhi, hosting is not a chore, but rather a lifestyle! We must uphold the Host Cubs reputation in our everyday lives by being perfect gentlemen to every woman that comes our way!" Tamaki exclaimed, making the twins duck as he spread out his arms expressively._

" _Wouldn't a gentleman have waited until marriage to get a girl pregnant?" the twins piped up again, loving to embarrass the two young parents._

 _As predictd, Tamaki flushed and swatted at the twins._

" _That's not… Haruhi and I's love could not have bee contained to just the two of us! Wee were very fortunate to be blessed with our beautiful -"_

" _Speaking of which," Haruhi interrupted, also red, "its naptime. Looks like I can't go to your stupid event anyway" she sounded triumphant, but the other hosts still looked smug, which only meant trouble._

" _Did you not hear Tamaki mention that the event is exclusive to graduates only, Haruhi?" Kyoya said. "The Host Club is oly sponsoring it. It will be held in the club room, but you and the twins will be the only hosts present. Tamaki can take the baby."_

 _Tamaki stepped forward and held out his arms to take his child, but Haruhi held tighter instead._

" _Ah… I feel guilty though, I haven't been around all day, you've been taking care of h-"_

"' _I'm not babysitting, Haruhi. I'm the father, I'm supposed to spend time with my child!" Tamaki was starting to sound defensive, and Haruhi felt a rush of guilt._

" _I know, but I -"_

" _Daddy!" it appeared Tamaki wasn't the only one becoming impatient. The infant in Haruhi's arms was beginning to squirm and reach for Tamaki._

 _Tamaki raised an eyebrow at Haruhi._

 _She sighed and finally handed the baby over after a quick kiss on the forehead. "Okay, be good for daddy and grandpa then."_

 _The child ignored her, busy burying her face into her father's chest._

" _Don't worry, Haruhi, you go have fun!" Honey said, smiling up at the younger girl. With that, Hikaru and Kaoru took hold of both Haruhi's arms and whisked her away._

 _For once, Haruhi didn't bother struggling against them and simply let them drag her up to the familiar third music room._

"Guys, seriously, let go!"

"Oh no, we need to make sure you actually go there!" Kaoru said, an accusing lilt to his voice that Haruhi did not appreciate.

"What's the big deal anyway, it's just another stupid party!"

"Yeah, the last one _ever_!"

"Thank god."

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport!" Hikaru whinged.

Grumbling, Haruhi finally gave in and let them drag her up the last staircase leading to the third music room. When they approached the door, the twins practically shoved her into it.

"Hey!"

"Well? Go on in, Haruhi" Hikaru said.

"Why just me?"

"You're the guest of honour, everyone else wants to see you first, not us!"

"Guys, you know grand entrances aren't my thing."

"You're no fun" the two said together, matching pouts across their face.

Haruhi sighed. "Really guys?"

"Please, for us?" they said again in synch.

Exhaling loudly, the young girl simply gave them a snappish "fine!" and turned back to the door.

Hoping to escape this 'grand entrance' the twins had apparently planned, she quitely slid the door open, hoping to just be able to quietly slip into the room unnoticed and vanish into the crowd as soon as possible.

Fortuntely, she need not worry about any of this, for there was only one other person in the room.

"Tamaki?" Haruhi frowned and gave the empty room a second lookover. "What are you doing here? I thought this was a third years party. Where is everyone?"

Tamaki gave a nervous laugh in response. "Well… sorry, but I kind of lied to you. I just wanted to get you alone here" he added quickly, noting her disaproving look.

"Tamaki, why did you feel the need to bring me here?" she asked.

"Well," Tamaki draled, "I suppose I thought there was something… nostalgic about being here today. This is where everything started after all. Just imagine how different life would be if you'd chosen to just study in the library that day - actually don't, I don't want to think about it!" he added hysterically, to which Haruhi simply rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Tamaki. Though I suppose I agree. This does all seem very full circle."

Tamaki smiled, his romantic flair returning to him. "Did you know that's exactly what 'Tamaki' means? Circular. Never ending."

"Oh really?"

"Like our love!" Haruhi couldn't help but snort. How chuckle. And yet she loved it.

"Yeah" she couldn't resist giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Now where's the party really?"

"Well… there isn't one to be honest."

Haruhi shot him a quizzical look. "What?"

"I made up the party to get you up here - but we can still have one later if you like!" he added nervously.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that won't be necessary. But why'd you want me up here?"

"Well… um, just to talk."

"Talk? About what?"

Those words seemed to trigger something in Tamaki, as he began acting skittishly once more. He ran a hand through his hair and Haruhi noticed he seemed to be sweating unnaturally.

"Well, about our futures."

"Tamaki, are you okay?" Haruhi inturrupted in concern, but he simply waved it off. "And what about our futures? We're okay aren't we? We've got our apartment and university… are you worried about Kotoko or something?"

"Well… sort of."

Now worried, Haruhi seemed to straighten up. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you know I grew up with one parent my whole life, and while I love them both, I never had an ordinary childhood, so I really want Kotoko to have that but-" seeming to notice how quickly he was speaking, Tamaki took a deep breath before continuing, "this isn't just because of Kotoko, but I think it does represent everything we've been through together. And I can't see any reason not to. I love you more than life itself and I don't ever want to spend a moment without you in this life we're building together. So," Haruhi blinked as her brain refused to register her boyfriend and father of her child dropping to one knee, mouth dropping as she heard those next few words, "will you marry me?"

Haruhi stared, shocked, and still clutching her high school diploma.

"Um, if you want to that is. To, you know, make it official and-"

Haruhi couldn't help but giggle. He was nervous and adorable and rambling and it was so perfectly them and not at all anything too extravagant or gaudy like Tamaki's ridiculous shows of affection normally were, and it just showed how much they had both grown up in the past couple of years and she wanted nothing more than to make their love official.

"Yes. Of course I will!" she laughed again, unable to comprehend the situation as he leapt forward to engulf her in a crushing hug. "Were you actually worried I'd say no?"

"It may have crossed my mind once or twice" he replied sheepishly, only to laugh along with her when he realised the ridiculousness of it.

"You're unbelievable" she laughed, "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

 **I hope this was a somewhat satifsfying ending!**

 **I'm really sorry it took me so long to upload the last couple of chapters when I really could have been finished a year ago now. But I doubt anyone is still reading this anyway, so I'd just like to thank those of you who put up with my upload schedule for all those months and have a little celebration that this is the first fic I've actually finished - even though it's super cringey and I actually hate it now lol. Idk if I'll delete it in the future cause looking back there are some messages that I really don't want to put out and apologise if you felt that this fic glorified teen pregnancy and being kicked out or whatever… but OHSHC is a ridiculous show with super rich kids so I feel like I tried to make it realistic for their situations at least.**

 **So yeah, I'm super proud of myself for actually finished a fic and super grateful to all of you who actually enjoyed it for some reason. Feel free to review and follow me for any future fics, though I think I'll be taking a break from writing for a while. To put into perspective, I started this fic when I was in year 11 and now I'm a year out of high school, which is really depressing, but I feel like it was time to finally put this fic to rest. A big thank you to all my readers, I love you all as much as Haruhi loves fancy tuna!**


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